OMM Newsroom
Hundreds of millions of voters in the United States will elect members of the House of Representatives and Senate on November 3. The results could shape the final 26 months of Donald Trump’s presidency and affect the course of the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, AnewZ reports.
All 435 seats in the House, the lower chamber of Congress, and 35 seats in the Senate, the upper chamber, are up for election.
The House and Senate jointly take part in passing federal laws. Members of both chambers introduce bills, debate them and vote on them. The House has a special role in approving the federal budget.
The House can impeach the president and other federal officials, including judges. Each House member represents a specific congressional district, whose population averages about 761,000 people.
Trump’s Republican Party currently holds a narrow majority in the House. Democrats are seeking to take control of the chamber to expand scrutiny of the administration and oppose its policies.
Senators share responsibility with the House for passing laws. Each US state elects two senators. The Senate can approve or reject presidential nominees for senior posts, federal judgeships and ambassadorships. After the House votes to impeach an official, the Senate holds a trial to determine whether the official is guilty and should be removed from office.
Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage in the Senate. Democrats would need to gain a net four seats to reach 51 and take control of the chamber.
How could the elections affect the Trump administration?
The midterm elections are seen as a major test for the Republican Party ahead of the 2028 presidential election and could influence how Trump governs for the rest of his term. The US Constitution does not allow him to serve a third term.
If Democrats take control of the House, they could block legislation, investigate the Trump administration’s decisions and use negotiations over government spending to challenge its priorities. A Senate majority would give them greater influence over presidential appointments, including nominations for senior posts and ambassadorships.
A change in control of Congress would not, however, automatically enable Democrats to stop Trump’s agenda. The president can veto bills and issue executive orders to direct the government without congressional approval. Such orders, however, cannot override existing laws.
Iran and Ukraine policies in focus
In his 2024 victory speech, Trump said he would “not start wars” and has repeatedly criticized conflicts launched by previous presidents. The US-Iran war, which began in February, has become one of the main foreign policy challenges for his administration.
About two-thirds of Americans — 65% — disapproved of Trump’s handling of the conflict, according to a poll published by the Pew Research Center in October. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has also been disrupted since the US-Iran war began in late February.
The elections could serve as a test of public support for the administration’s conduct of the war, but the results will not necessarily prompt an immediate policy shift. A Democratic majority in either chamber would allow the party to more closely scrutinize Trump’s military decisions, investigate the conduct of the war and oppose requests for additional funding.
In September, the Senate narrowly rejected a resolution proposed by Democrats that would have required Trump to halt military operations against Iran or seek congressional authorization to continue them. A shift in the balance of power in the Senate could make it harder for the administration to defeat similar proposals. Trump could still veto legislation limiting his actions, though overriding a veto requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress.
Democrats could use congressional hearings to scrutinize Trump’s Russia policy, including decisions on sanctions and relations with Moscow, as well as the administration’s approach to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Senate races that could prove decisive
Control of the Senate could be decided by a handful of close races. The outcome of the House contest, meanwhile, will depend on voting in dozens of competitive districts.
In Michigan, left-wing Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing Republican Mike Rogers. El-Sayed secured his nomination in August by narrowly defeating a more centrist candidate in the Democratic primary. His race will test whether a left-wing candidate can win in a swing state.
In Maine, Republican Senator Susan Collins is seeking re-election against the Democratic nominee, former state Senate president Troy Jackson. Collins has occasionally broken with Trump, including by supporting a September resolution aimed at limiting his military operations against Iran. Polls have shown a close contest. Jackson was ahead by four percentage points in an October Washington Post poll.
In Texas, Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing Democrat James Talarico. Texas has traditionally been a Republican stronghold in federal elections, but recent polls have shown a competitive race. An October poll published by the University of Houston put Talarico at 48% and Paxton at 46%. A Democratic win would mark a significant breakthrough for the party and could alter the balance of power in the Senate.
Polls show Democrats with an advantage in the House
Polls indicate that Democrats are well positioned to take control of the House, while the contest for the Senate is expected to be more difficult.
In a poll published by Reuters/Ipsos on October 26, likely voters asked which party they would support in their congressional district favored Democrats by nine percentage points, 53% to 44%.
The same poll found that 32% approved of Trump’s performance. Seventy-three percent of respondents said the cost of living was moving in the wrong direction.
Rising prices, including increases linked to the war with Iran, are creating a serious domestic challenge for Trump. Ben Harris, director of the Economic Studies program at the Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank, said during a discussion on October 20 that voters had been promised prices would fall, but they had not.
“They haven’t seen that at the gas pump. That price has risen significantly since the war in Iran. Food was supposed to get cheaper, but it didn’t. Housing was supposed to get cheaper, but it didn’t,” Harris said.
