Voting has begun in the US midterm elections, with Americans deciding which party will win the majority in Congress. For Donald Trump, the outcome will determine whether he can count on support from lawmakers in the remaining two years of his presidency. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Americans are electing all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators.
Republicans control both chambers. Polls and analysts give Democrats an advantage in the race for the House. The outcome of the Senate elections remains uncertain.
Losing the majority would complicate Trump's ability to pass laws. Democrats would be able to conduct investigations into the administration's actions, and if they win the Senate, they could block presidential appointments.
As Kursiv previously reported, Democrat Robert Garcia has already requested documents following reports that Russian businessman Umar Kremlev paid for part of the wedding celebrations of Trump Jr. A majority would give Democrats more powers for such investigations.
Trump himself is confident of Republican success:
"I think the results will be better than you expect," he said in an interview with Fox News on November 3.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, the cost of living was the main factor in the choice for 48% of registered voters. Respect for democratic norms was named by 26%, immigration by 13%.
Before the elections, the US temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian diesel. Trump hoped that additional supplies would help lower fuel prices.
According to the University of Florida's Election Lab, more than 57 million Americans had voted early by November 2, compared with 46 million in the 2022 midterms.