Americans vote on 3 November in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress for the second half of President Donald Trump's term. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

What is on the ballot

  • The House: all 435 seats.
  • The Senate: 35 of 100 seats, including two special elections.
  • States: 36 governorships, along with thousands of state legislative seats and ballot measures.

What the polls say

The party that holds the White House usually loses ground in midterms, and this year looks no different so far. In a September review of the race, NPR reported that polling averages make a Democratic takeover of the House the likeliest outcome, because more voters say they would prefer a Democrat to represent them in Congress.

The Senate is less certain. NPR described control of the chamber as "no longer a given for either party", with the most expensive contests in Iowa, Texas, Ohio and Alaska.

The president's standing is a drag on his party. An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll in September put Trump's favourability at 37 per cent, down from 44 per cent in January 2025. The pollsters noted that the survey is not a forecast of the result.

The issues

Voters tell pollsters they are most concerned about the war in Iran, immigration, tariffs, petrol prices and the general cost of living. Several states, run by both parties, redrew their congressional maps in the middle of the decade to create more safe seats, which makes national polling a less reliable guide to the final seat count.

Money

Democratic candidates are outraising their opponents in many key races, according to NPR. Republican party committees and allied super PACs, however, have hundreds of millions of dollars more in the bank for the final weeks.

Why it matters beyond Washington

A Democratic House would be able to block legislation and open investigations, while the Senate controls confirmation of judges and senior officials. For policy on universities, student visas and research funding, which has changed sharply over the past two years, the balance of Congress after 3 November will decide how much of that agenda continues.

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