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Approximately 210 million American voters will cast their ballots tomorrow, Tuesday, in the congressional midterm elections to choose 35 out of 100 seats in the Senate, and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Voting by 52 million Americans

The midterm elections in the United States are held two years after the presidential election, and their results directly affect the agenda of the occupant of the White House for the remainder of their presidential term.

The University of Florida's election lab indicated that over 52 million Americans have already cast their votes, either in person or by mail, which is a record number for midterm elections, representing an increase from the approximately 46 million voters before Election Day in 2022. Results from the congressional elections are expected to start emerging tomorrow evening, Tuesday.

The Republican Party holds a slim majority in both chambers (the House and the Senate). Polls show that the Democratic Party is favored to win a majority in the House of Representatives and is in a tight battle for control of the Senate, with the outcome likely to be decided in a few closely contested states.

Four seats to seize the majority

Democrats need to gain four seats in both the House and the Senate to overturn the Republicans' slim majority, making it 218 for the Democrats versus 214 for the Republicans in the first chamber, and 53 to 47 in the second. Polls suggest that Democrats are likely to secure a majority in the House, while the competition for the Senate remains undecided.

Midterm elections have seen nearly $11 billion spent on advertisements, a significant portion of which came from individual donors with massive wealth, such as billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, who contributed a staggering amount nearing half a billion dollars to support the election of Republican candidates.

The campaigns have been marked by sharp rhetoric and exchanges of insults between the two sides, including Trump repeatedly claiming that the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, is a "jihadist."

Will Republicans refuse to accept defeat?

The electoral scene is overshadowed by concerns that Republicans may refuse to accept defeat if they lose to the Democrats, which could lead to a constitutional crisis similar to Trump's attempt to overturn the results of his defeat in the 2020 presidential election against Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Democrats and many Republicans have described this election as a referendum on President Trump's policies.

Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is also the chair of the Republican Senate campaign committee, predicted in television remarks yesterday that his party would maintain its majority in the chamber.

If Democrats take control of the House or Senate, they would be able to obstruct Trump's legislative agenda during the last two years of his term and open investigations into his administration.

Control of Congress would give Democrats the ability to launch investigations into President Trump and obstruct bills and restrict his spending priorities. However, the president would still retain broad executive powers in trade, foreign policy, and the administration of federal agencies, powers he has already used extensively during his second term.

Trump stated that he expects to be able to use the veto power "for a month or two" before reaching compromises with the Democrats if Republicans lose control of the legislative body. The American president remarked in excerpts from an interview with the New York Post, saying, "I think I will become Mr. Veto."