America votes today... A referendum on 'Trumpism'

Washington, Agencies: Americans cast their ballots today in midterm elections that are being watched by the entire world, potentially serving as a referendum on “Trumpism” that has swept across the United States and is now extending toward Europe. Democrats organized their final rallies yesterday in an effort to wrest control, at least partially, of Congress to constrain President Donald Trump, who is accused of overstepping his authority. Trump, who wields considerable influence within the Republican Party that has largely enabled him to impose his political agenda, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a site that has become a symbol of his controversial project aimed at reshaping the capital’s landscape. On Sunday, Trump expressed confidence in the Republican campaign’s success, stating, “We will win,” as the 78-year-old president has spent months sowing doubts about the integrity of the election and has already spoken of the possibility of challenging the results.

Traditionally, the president’s party loses midterm elections, and opinion polls indicate that Democrats are nearly certain to secure a majority in the House of Representatives, with the potential to shift the balance of power in the Senate. Democratic control of the House would grant them significant leverage over federal budgeting and control of powerful committees capable of investigating corruption allegations under the Trump administration, including the Jeffrey Epstein case and other sensitive files. Conversely, a Republican loss of its congressional majority two years before the end of Trump’s term would complicate the president’s agenda, which already faces challenges related to inflation and the protracted conflict with Iran.

A poll conducted by The New York Times in collaboration with Siena College shows Democratic candidates for the Senate leading in five of the seven key states: Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine, and Ohio, with a slight lead in Alaska, while the two parties are effectively tied in Iowa. These results are significant given the difficulty of the task facing the Democratic Party, which needs to retain all its current seats and gain at least four from Republicans, many of whom are in traditionally Republican strongholds. However, polls show Democrats leading by a clear margin in two states that have not elected a Democratic senator in decades: Texas, where the last Democratic Senate victory dates back to 1988, and Kansas, which has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932.

The polls did not include North Carolina, where other long-standing surveys indicate a lead for the Democratic candidate, as Republicans have reduced their campaign spending. A previous poll by the newspaper also showed a tie in the race in South Carolina, a state with a Republican majority. Nevertheless, Democrats remain cautious, as opinion polls previously underestimated the level of mobilization by the “MAGA” movement, an acronym for Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.” Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock told CNN that he feels “optimism tinged with anxiety.” During the campaign, Republicans, led by Trump, adopted a scorched-earth strategy, portraying Democrats as “communists” and describing Abdul El-Sayed, who could become the first Muslim senator if elected in Michigan, as a “terrorist.” While it appears likely that Democrats will secure a majority in the House of Representatives, where all seats are up for election, the battle for the Senate remains undecided. Only one-third of its seats are contested, and initially, only a few were considered favorable to Democrats.

However, opinion polls now indicate that the Democrats’ chances of seizing control of the Senate are no less than those of the Republicans, following their surprisingly fierce campaigns in states with clear Republican leanings, such as Texas and Kansas. A Democratic majority in the Senate would enable them to block Trump’s judicial appointments, particularly those to the Supreme Court. The midterm elections saw approximately $11 billion spent on advertising, much of it funded by individual donors with vast wealth. Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, contributed a staggering sum of nearly half a billion dollars to support the election of Republican candidates.