Dems eye gains as US votes in midterms

WASHINGTON:

Americans voted on Tuesday in midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term, with Democrats favoured to regain control of the House of Representatives while the battle for the Senate remained uncertain.

All 435 seats in the House and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested, with Democrats needing a net gain of three House seats and four Senate seats to take control of both chambers. Opinion polls and nonpartisan analysts have given Democrats an edge in the House.

The Senate contest remains closely fought across several states, including Republican strongholds. The Senate contest has drawn particular attention in Michigan, where progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is challenging Republican Mike Rogers.

The race has also become a test of whether attacks centred on El-Sayed's identity and criticism of Israel will influence voters in the battleground state. Other closely watched Senate contests include Texas, Alaska, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio, where Democrats are attempting to make gains in traditionally Republican states.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico is challenging Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, while former congresswoman Mary Peltola is seeking to unseat Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska.

Voting equipment problems were reported in several parts of the country, including Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, potentially causing local delays. In New York's Westchester County, ballot scanners malfunctioned, prompting officials to use emergency procedures and assure voters that all ballots would be counted.

The US Justice Department said it was deploying 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states, describing it as the largest Election Day monitoring effort in history. Democrats criticised the move as potentially intimidating voters.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but the battlefield has extended into once reliably conservative states like Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska. Democrats must also defend competitive seats. Decision Desk HQ's final forecast projected 241 House seats for Democrats against 194 for Republicans, and a narrower 52-48 Democratic Senate majority.

Concerns also emerged over whether Republicans would accept the results if they lost control of Congress. Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud, while his administration pursued legal challenges involving ballot certification in Alaska and mail-in ballots in California.

More than 57 million Americans had already voted early before Tuesday, indicating high engagement. The campaign has attracted more than $11 billion in political advertising, and mega-rich Trump ally Elon Musk has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican efforts.