Americans will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in consequential midterm elections that could hobble U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration for the next two years.
A total of 35 Senate seats are up for election this cycle, along with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Trump and his Republican Party are facing political headwinds — the president’s approval ratings are reaching historic lows, and the Democrats are hoping he drags his party down with him.
Cost of living remains top-of-mind for 47 per cent of American voters, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters, followed distantly by democratic values (26 per cent) and immigration (12 per cent).
It remains to be seen whether voters will lay the country’s economic woes at the feet of Trump, whose war of choice in Iran has caused economic turmoil across the world and sent fuel prices skyrocketing.
The president’s unpopularity and the country’s economic trouble, coupled with Americans’ propensity to vote against the administration in midterm elections, has led Democratic voters to hope for a “blue wave” that would give the party control of at least one or possibly both chambers of Congress and theoretically hobble Trump’s legislative agenda for the next two years.
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Even if he loses control of both chambers of Congress, Trump would still maintain significant amounts of power from his continuing role as president to act via executive orders.
Democrats need 51 seats in the Senate, which would involve holding their current 47 and convincing a significant number of Americans that voted for Trump to switch over.
The party’s best hopes lay in tight races in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas.
Going into Tuesday, the Republicans held 219 seats in the House of Representatives — a slim one-seat majority that will be difficult to defend in midterm elections, which typically punish the party that controls the White House.
As of Oct. 26, 47 per cent of respondents told Ipsos they intended to vote Democrat in their congressional district, to just 36 per cent who planned to vote Republican.
A further 11 per cent said they were still undecided.
The full results of the cross-country elections will not be known until early Wednesday morning, with the last polls closing in Alaska at 1 a.m. Eastern.
Global News will have full coverage throughout the day and into Wednesday morning on globalnews.ca.
With files from Reuters and the Associated Press.
Harper achieved nothing but debt and deficit. His tax policies were failures. His Criminal Code amendments were struck down by the Courts. His decision to move the CPC to the right left it unelectable. Pretty poor showing all round.
Mulroney brought in the GST that you all hate so much to replace the manufacturer’s sales tax and took us into the FTA. Apart from that he offloaded costs onto the Provinces while running up a debt that far surpassed anything we saw from Trudeau senior. How much money did he take from Karl Heinz Schreiber? A great leader no doubt.
Of the three of them, I’d put Harper dead last. I didn’t like Trudeau but he did a good job on COVID and built a pipeline. Harper abandoned a pipe line to Kitimat because it was too hard for him and failed to get the Americans to build Keystone XL.
Mulroney and Harper were great prime ministers. Chrétien was marginal but had a good finance minister and Trudeau was the absolute worst PM ever.
Hilarious how Maple MAGA contunue to preach how Canada is better off with the circus clown south of the border in charge, lol! Ya, sure, and there really is an Easter bunny too! F’n delusional morons!
California governor
Samja. You had a point if you were talking about any other Rep Party. Canada always did better under the Rep than the Dems because the Rep believed in Free Trade. Trump’s different. His approach to trade is based on a misunderstanding of tariffs, trade balances and subsidies and on a more mercantilist approach to economics. His decision to upend the global trading system put the $30T/yr U.S. economy up against the $80T/y rest of the world economy. Overall, Trump is so chaotic that I don’t think you can say that the Dems are currently more protectionist that the Rep. Bottom line is that we have to continue to treat the US as an untrustworthy trade partner.
Trump acts like he is above the law so not much will change even if Democrats get enough seats in the Senate and Congress. Trump has already stated he will veto everything. Two more years of torture for the world and US people (unless he dies). Hoping the later happens because the Senate and Congress will keep him in even if he is so far gone with dementia that he doesn’t know who he is or what country he is in. Worse President ever and so cruel and evil.
Hilarious how Elbows Up Carney Liberals think the Democrats will save them. They are more protectionist than MAGA regime.
Tex. Making things up isn’t proof. We haven’t lost jobs as you claim. We don’t have high unemployment. We haven’t had zero growth over the last 167 quarters. You Cons can’t just make stuff up and pretend its true just because you’re pissed off that the Cons lost the last election when they were supposed to win. Looks like Poilievre ran a terrible campaign that couldn’t pivot away from Trudeau and towards Carney. Poilievre lost so badly that he lost his own seat and had to go to rural Alberta to organize a seat safe enough so that he’d win. Carney, on the other hand, is doing so well that if he decided to call an election today you guys would be out in the wilderness wondering what happened. So face facts. You lost. You should try to change the CPC to make it more acceptable to Canadians or you’re going to continue to lose. Probably better for all of us since Con Governments in Canada tend to range from disasters to catastrophes and I have the proof if you want.
@Rich 2:41. Results or lack of results speak for themselves. Sorry the truth hurts. It isn’t partisan.
So far, 23 counties are reporting the voting machines are down and ballots are being stored to be counted later.
What a sham!
@thoughts of a Conservative: sure, and the earth is still flat, right?!
@BenIsAnIjut We know they’re cheating because we’re cheating and still losing.
@text: maybe you didn’t hear but the ‘midterms’ refers to US elections, not Canadian elections. That said, the disaster that is your circus of a party aka ‘MAGA’ has created higher inflation in the US than Canada, started another never-ending war, and increased the cost of living for everyone thanks to your orange hero’s idiot self-inflicted tarrifs! Capiche?!
AB Proud. Just another partisan Con bot Liberal hater making unsupported claims because he’s upset that the Cons lost the last election and have no prospect of ever forming government again. You backed the loser. Live with it.
@Rich 2:26. Canadas lost jobs, high unemployment, and zero growth last 16 quarters is the proof.
Trump is a much better leader than Mark Clowney. Clowney has got nothing done now in 19 months.
Derek Hunter. Any proof to support your opinion or should we just take your word for it?
@thoughts of a conservative. Yeah cause there is no evidence of screwing with the elections. Give it a rest. Your derangement is disgusting
MAGA legacy: Another Never-ending war, inflation due to tarrifs, rising cost-of-living, ICE chaos etc etc.
If my side wins, it’s legit. If the other side wins, It’s rigged because nobody could possibly dislike the reic… err, the right.
Inflation is higher in the clown-led circus of Murica and for this the US can ‘thank’ the orange cult leader’s tarrifs!!!
If you want an insane circus, vote trump! If you want real economic growth paired with less inflation & cost of living, vote for anyone but trump/MAGA!!
If you want results vote Trump.
If you want virtue signalling and platitudes voted Democrats or Liberals in Canada
This up, this down, promise this, promise that, this year, that year, you liberal princesses keep hoping for the frog to turn into a Prince. Keep wishing!
I like Trump. He is trying to bring more jobs to the USA. Our economy is booming unlike in Canada. Trump also has dominated Carney and made Canada pay their fair share in NATO which they were not doing before.
@Rich. You must be joking. Liberals under Trudeau and Carney are the most incompetent Govts ever seen in Canada.
@Walter
“Next time Democrats will have a better candidate”
Who would that be?
One can only hope he’s done. But the polls will be bungled like his last term and last election.and bungled like the Epstein files. He’s a criminal.
Last election was no choice as Kamala was unelectable. Next time the Democrats will have a better candidate.
Ken. What are you talking about? If the Democrats are successful Trump will still be President and the most likely result will be legislative gridlock because government has no ability to act.
In Canada government remains in power while it has the confidence of the House of Commons and can be ousted with a non- confidence vote.
You sound upset because the Liberals have a majority government and if an election were held today would probably have a bigger majority. This is because Canadian voters elected more Liberal MPs than Conservative MPs, which is their right.
No point railing against it, do something about it.
At least Americans kick out Governments etc. if they are not performing as expected. If GOP loses both houses then so be it. Meanwhile, in Canada, we keep voting for the Liberals after over a decade of failure, repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
Democrats like liberals are the party of hate and division! BTW Global sucks
The “news” has convinced millions of idiots that “affordability” is a main issue, but that word was never used in politics until 2025.
Canadians didn’t consider affordability when conman Carney was elected.
It was not an issue in the 2022 midterms when the Fed rate was 9.1%.
Democrats didn’t have enough voters in 2024, and since then they alienated their Jewish voters and many other Dem voters have been deported.
Ask Hillary about the accuracy of the polls.
There is going to be many irregularities, glitches, malfunctions, and human errors only in the Democrat states.
It is already starting.
Ben. Perhaps Carney can work on affordability in Canada as it is way more acute in Canada than in the USA.
If the Democrats win does that mean open borders again? … Mexicans are nice but the cheech and chongs I find very entertaining.
I hope Americans remember the circus that was the Democrats….and considering where the Dems are heading, with the likes of Newsom waiting in the wings, and the utopia that is New York…..think long and hard about where you want your country heading. Too bad it’s a uniparty over there, cause Trump is no better…..be nice if they could get him out, and have a different leader of Republicans.
I urge all Canadians to go and vote against Trump in the midterms!!!
Everyone can take 7 friends to Minnesota and just find a Somalian with ID and tell them you want to vote Democrat.
In Minnesota, one person with ID can vouch for up to 8 other voters with no ID.
Try not to get shot by ICE, they love shooting Canadians.
Democracy is pro wrestling …the sooner we can realize that the sooner we can make real change outside of this uniparty system.
I am dismayed you thought it okay to both write and then publish the following ‘sentence,’ Alex Boutilier: “Even if he loses control of both chambers of Congress, Trump would still maintain significant amounts of power from his continuing role as president to act via executive orders.”
If the cost of living is genuinely a top priority for Americans, then perhaps it’s time for voters to send a clear message by taking power away from Republicans and Trump in both chambers of Congress. A change in the balance of power might finally create the conditions for a more flexible, pragmatic, and constructive approach to negotiating a trade agreement with Canada.
Such an agreement would reduce tariffs on our goods, thereby reducing the inflation rate in the US.
Canada, meanwhile, should not sit back and wait. We urgently need to diversify our trade relationships and reduce our dependence on the US.
I believe Carney understands this, and he is opening doors to other trade partners.
No matter what, Liberals and liberals alike will blame all their problems on the outcome.
vote republican like your life depends on it…….because it does!
I plan to vote for Trump again. The Democrats have nothing to offer and are worse than the Carney Liberals. Trump has done a great
Job cleaning up the Sourjern Border with Mexico
Wow, really? Only 47% think cost of living is important. Less than half. Jesus you ‘merikans’ are stupid.