US votes in crucial midterms as Trump's Iran war, economy face electoral test

Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday in high-stakes midterm elections that will determine control of Congress and shape the remaining two years of President Donald Trump's second term, with the Iran war, rising living costs and concerns over election administration dominating the political debate.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested, alongside gubernatorial elections in 36 states and thousands of state and local races. Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress, while Democrats are seeking to regain legislative power and strengthen congressional oversight of the White House.

The elections are widely regarded as a major test of Trump's presidency, coming amid public dissatisfaction over the cost of living, his administration's tariff policies and the economic consequences of the continuing conflict with Iran.

More than 57 million Americans had already cast their ballots before Election Day, according to figures cited by ABC News, reflecting substantial participation ahead of Tuesday's in-person voting.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲

The outcome will determine whether Trump can continue advancing his legislative agenda with Republican majorities or face stronger opposition from a Democratic-controlled chamber.

Republicans entered the election with a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, including independents aligned with Democrats. Democrats require a net gain of four seats to secure a majority in the upper chamber.

In the House, the contest is particularly important because all seats are up for election. A shift in control would give Democrats the ability to influence spending legislation, initiate investigations and challenge administration policies.

The Senate also plays a critical role in confirming senior government officials and federal judges, including Supreme Court nominees.

Among the closely watched Senate contests are races in Michigan, Alaska, Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Maine and Ohio, where the outcome could affect the balance of power.

𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗿, 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

The continuing US-Israeli military confrontation with Iran has emerged as a significant campaign issue, particularly because of its impact on energy prices and household expenses.

Democrats have criticised the administration's handling of the conflict and argued that its economic consequences have added to the financial pressure facing American families.

Trump, however, has defended the military campaign and maintained that his administration's policies have strengthened the United States.

In his final televised message before Election Day, the President described the American economy as booming and sought to reassure voters about his administration's record.

He also dismissed concerns over the financial cost of the Iran war, arguing that the expenditure was small compared with the economic benefits he claimed his administration had generated elsewhere.

Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, indicated that Washington was continuing diplomatic engagement with Tehran and had not imposed a strict deadline for reaching an agreement to prevent further military escalation.

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮

Election-related legal disputes intensified ahead of polling, particularly over mail-in ballots in California.

The Trump administration had sought to have more than 20,000 disputed ballots set aside, but a federal judge ordered officials not to comply with the demand.

The US Supreme Court subsequently rejected the administration's attempt to overturn that order, allowing the ballots to remain within the normal election process.

The dispute became part of a wider debate over voting rights, ballot verification and the federal government's role in election administration.

Democrats have accused the administration of pursuing measures that could interfere with voting, while Republicans have maintained that stricter oversight is necessary to protect election integrity.

𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴

The US Justice Department announced plans to deploy approximately 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states, describing the initiative as its largest federal election monitoring operation.

The deployment includes personnel from agencies outside the department's traditional voting rights enforcement teams, prompting questions from civil rights organisations.

Officials said the additional personnel would perform administrative functions and would not be authorised to carry firearms as part of their election duties.

A federal judge rejected an emergency request by civil rights groups to restrict the monitoring programme, finding insufficient evidence that the deployment would intimidate voters.

Federal election monitoring has been used by previous administrations, although the scale and composition of this year's deployment have attracted heightened scrutiny.

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

One of the most closely watched Senate contests is in Michigan, where Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers.

The contest took an unexpected turn after Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who lost to El-Sayed in the party's primary, endorsed Rogers.

Trump seized on the development during campaign appearances, repeatedly criticising El-Sayed and seeking to consolidate Republican support.

Other competitive races are being watched for indications of whether Democrats can make gains in states that supported Trump during the 2024 presidential election.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆

Polling began across several eastern states on Tuesday morning, with voters queuing at polling stations in New York, Ohio, Vermont and other parts of the country.

The first results are expected after 6 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, corresponding to 4.30 am Wednesday in India. However, close contests and the counting of postal ballots could delay the final outcome in several states.

Beyond Congress, gubernatorial elections and state legislative contests will determine political control over important areas of domestic policymaking, including taxation, education and election administration.

The results will establish the balance of power in Washington for the final two years of Trump's presidency. A change in control of either congressional chamber would alter the administration's relationship with lawmakers, while Republican victories would preserve its existing legislative advantages.