USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 17 January 2002United States Midterm Elections Tuesday, November 3: House And Senate Seats Contested
“Those rates are making it harder to buy a home or a car, making millions of people feel like they're treading water.”
“With US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party fighting to maintain control of Congress, here’s how the lists could affect the midterms.”
Photo: Douglas W. Jones, CC0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Republicans currently hold majorities in both chambers. The election will decide control of the House and Senate.
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Midterms and Trump’s leverage
The United States is holding midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats being contested. The Los Angeles Times described Arizona’s 6th Congressional District as a proxy fight between President Trump and his antagonists, with Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani and Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza battling for the seat. The NPR analysis said President Trump was elected in 2024 with a mandate to bring down prices, but it said voters are blaming him for prices that have continued to rise since he took office this second time around.
The NPR analysis also said Trump will almost certainly retain the ability to block legislation that challenges his agenda, even if opposition Democrats gain more Congressional scrutiny. The Open Magazine explainer said Democrats need 218 seats for a majority in the full House, while it said Republicans currently control it by a narrow margin.
Noncitizen voter lists
The Reuters report said the Trump administration has acknowledged sending letters to election officials in five states, California, Washington, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada, as of October 30, saying it identified noncitizens on their voter rolls. The Reuters report quoted Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels saying, "Close elections are not rare, and every illegal ballot cancels out the vote of an American citizen," as the department pursued legal action tied to the lists. The Open Magazine explainer said the Justice Department sought to have mail ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters set aside, alleging they were likely noncitizens, and it said an appeals court rejected its emergency request on October 30.
The Open Magazine explainer said the administration said on October 31 it would probably seek Supreme Court intervention, after a federal judge temporarily barred threats or coercion against election officials over the administration’s demands. The Reuters report said a federal judge in California rejected the Justice Department’s bid to block ballots from 20,000 voters it identified as likely noncitizens, saying the move would "wreak havoc" on the November 3 elections and questioning the reliability of the list.
What changes if Democrats win
NewsNation said that even if Democrats win one or both chambers, Trump would retain veto power and broad executive authority, limiting Democrats’ ability to enact major legislation. NewsNation said that if Democrats win both the House and Senate, Democrats would gain control of House committees, subpoena power and the authority to investigate Trump and his administration. The Globe and Mail Q and A said a Democratic-led House could investigate the circumstances around the Iran war, and it said it would involve a more rigorous process of congressional committee investigations.
The Globe and Mail Q and A said a Democratic Congress would almost certainly do what it could to constrain Trump’s foreign policy excesses, while it added that Trump relishes a fight more than any president the correspondent could recall. The NPR analysis said the 2028 election begins almost immediately after these midterms, framing the stakes as extending beyond November 3 to the next presidential contest.