\u00a0Charleston, South Carolina(National Times)- Americans deliver their verdict on Donald Trump\u2019s tumultuous second presidency on Tuesday in midterm elections that threaten to shatter his grip on Washington, with Democrats poised to seize the House and challenge for control of the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans losing the House would give Democrats the power to stall Trump\u2019s legislative agenda and launch sweeping investigations of his administration. A Senate defeat would also threaten his ability to appoint Supreme Court justices and senior officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The election amounts to a nationwide judgement on Trump, with the mood turning sharply against Republicans amid anger over soaring living costs and the war on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats are at stake, along with governorships in 36 states. Democrats need only three House gains and a net four seats in the Senate to wrest both chambers from Republican hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump returned to office last year promising to bring down prices, but inflation, tariffs and fuel costs inflated by the Middle East conflict have squeezed Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 80-year-old\u2019s approval rating has hovered near the low 30s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, retired teacher Jane Callum, 77, was among Democrats canvassing for Senator Jon Ossoff who framed the race as a watershed moment for the country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really feel an obligation to do everything that I possibly can to change the direction that our country is going in now, and put it more on the path to democracy and away from autocracy,\u201d she told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economic discontent
Republicans insist that Trump\u2019s tax cuts and immigration crackdown will benefit Americans and they are portraying Democratic candidates as left-wing radicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in his final public campaign appearance Monday, Trump barely touched on the economy and spent most of the time in a rambling talk about his problem-plagued renovation of Washington\u2019s Reflecting Pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm I believe in our lifetime,\u201d he said, 26 minutes into the speech, before quickly returning to talking about renovations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer branded it a \u201cpathetic closing message.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Republican supporters remain confident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to win. As a matter of fact, we\u2019ve probably already won,\u201d Texas military veteran Yvonne Clouser told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, the battlefield is extending into conservative states like Kansas, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democrats must also defend competitive seats, including in Michigan, where a bitter internal dispute saw congresswoman Haley Stevens endorse Republican Mike Rogers rather than the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Decision Desk HQ\u2019s final forecast forecasted 241 House seats for Democrats against 194 for Republicans, and a narrower 52-48 Democratic Senate majority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Disputed results?
Polls can underestimate one party\u2019s support, and Republicans hope their voters turn out in force on Election Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 57 million Americans had already voted early before Tuesday, indicating the high energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The campaign has attracted more than $11 billion in political advertising, while billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican political efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as polls close, concerns will mount over whether results will be accepted by the Republicans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump, who tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat, has repeatedly alleged widespread voter fraud and accused Democrats \u2014 with no evidence \u2014 of cheating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Justice Department, run by a close Trump ally, has already sued to potentially block certification of Alaska\u2019s Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, although a court ruled against the effort on the eve of the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the Supreme Court rejected on Monday an emergency bid to force California to set aside the mail-in ballots of more than 20,000 people on the grounds they may not be American citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump, who will watch the midterms results at the White House on Tuesday night, signalled that if he does lose control of Congress he could simply defy Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI veto everything,\u201d he told a podcast on Monday, although he said he might strike deals with Democrats eventually.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0Charleston, South Carolina(National Times)- Americans deliver their verdict on Donald Trump\u2019s tumultuous second presidency on Tuesday in midterm elections that threaten to shatter his grip on Washington, with Democrats poised to seize the House and challenge for control of the Senate. Republicans losing the House would give Democrats the power to stall Trump\u2019s legislative agenda […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n