Tuesday's midterms may turn out to be a referendum on US President Donald Trump's performance over the last two years. History, polling and early voting numbers suggest it could be a difficult night for Trump's Republican Party, though the political map– not to mention a fresh round of GOP gerrymandering – could limit Democratic gains. Voters are in the mood for change, according to the AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters say they feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the country today.
Most appear to blame the Trump administration for high costs, with about 6 in 10 saying higher prices are “more because of Trump’s policies” rather than “more because of factors outside Trump’s control”. About 4 in 10 say the economy is the most important issue facing the country, while 3 in 10 say the most important issue is democracy, according to the poll, well above the number who said the same about crime, healthcare and immigration. Additionally, about 70% of voters want Congress to exercise more checks and balances on his presidency.
Democrats are looking to win majorities in both the House and the Senate that would allow them to curb Trump's power after he's faced little pushback from compliant Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress. More than 59 million Americans already had voted before Tuesday, but many more ballots will be cast on Election Day, and government watchdog groups worry that Trump and his loyalists could interfere with the voting process. Fearing a worst-case scenario, Democrats and nonpartisan watchdogs have trained tens of thousands of volunteers to monitor polling places.
Read moreElection officials brace for possible Trump interference in the midterms The Republican president is also trying to defy history: In almost every modern midterm election, the party in the White House has lost seats in Congress. Democrats certainly hope that's the case this year. The party is optimistic, given Trump's dismal approval ratings and voter concerns about the war with Iran and the surging price of gas and other daily necessities.
Trump is betting that his base of white working-class voters, which fuelled his presidential victories in 2016 and 2024, can save his Republican allies if they show up in great numbers. Ahead of Election Day, however, there were signs that Democrats were more fired up to vote against him and his party.Specifically, the Hispanic and Black voters and younger people who swung toward Trump two years ago may now rebuke him. Trump promised a 'Golden Age'.
What has he delivered at home? To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
