Overview
- On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Americans voted in midterm elections widely framed as a referendum on President Donald Trump with polls and forecasters giving Democrats the edge to reclaim the House.
- More than 50 million Americans cast early ballots before Election Day, shifting when campaigns mattered and increasing the likelihood that some close races will take days to call as states finish counting.
- The Senate remains competitive across multiple tossup states — including Michigan, Alaska, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and South Carolina — any of which could determine control of the chamber.
- The Justice Department under the Trump administration took unusual election-related steps, filing lawsuits over ballots and probing contested contests such as Alaska, actions that courts have sometimes pushed back against and that raise risks of post-election litigation.
- A Democratic House or Senate majority would give lawmakers power to open investigations into the administration, constrain appointments and affect policy, while voters’ top concerns — cost of living and the Iran war — helped drive turnout and choices at the polls.