Control of the US Congress is at stake today's election, which could reverse the distribution of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, while keeping the Capitol divided between Donald Trump's Republicans and Kamala Harris's Democrats, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The results will play an important role in how relaxed the reign of the winner of the US presidential election will be until the next congressional elections in 2026.
According to non-partisan analysts, Republicans have a strong chance of taking back the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-49 majority. But Republicans could lose their upper hand in the 435-seat House of Representatives, where Democrats need to win just four seats to regain control.
As with presidential elections, the outcome is likely to be determined by a small percentage of voters. The Senate race hinges on seven seats being on the ballot, while in the House of Representatives, fewer than 40 races are considered truly contested.
"They are extremely close," said Erin Cowie, who analyzes the House elections for the independent Center "Cook Political Report" (Cook Political Report).
Voters do not express a clear preference for either party. An October Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 43 percent of registered voters would support the Republican candidate in their district, while 43 percent would support the Democratic candidate.
Democrats are trying to maintain control of the Senate, whose members serve six-year terms.
Republicans need to win just two seats to gain control of the chamber, and they are expected to easily take one of them with a victory in West Virginia, where Joe Manchin – democrat turned independent – retired. The state's popular governor, Jim Justice, is expected to easily fill Manchin's seat.
Republicans could secure a majority with a win in Montana, where Democrat Jon Tester faces a tough re-election battle, or in Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown also faces a contested race.
Republicans have a chance to increase their majority in the Senate if they win races in several Midwestern states. That would allow them to block many of Harris' initiatives and personnel appointments if she wins the election, or help Trump implement his promised tax cuts if he wins. But they are unlikely to end up with the 60-vote majority needed to move most bills through the chamber.
In Nebraska, Republican Sen. Deb Fischer faces a surprisingly strong challenge from independent candidate Dan Osborne, who has not said whether he would join Senate Democrats if he wins. Republicans are also on the defensive in Texas, where Sen. Ted Cruz faces Democratic Rep. Colin Allred in the race for a seat Republicans have won for three decades.
The picture is not so clear in the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a slim majority of 220 to 212 votes. Analysts say Democrats could easily pick up enough seats to win control of the chamber, although there are no signs of possible major swings similar to those in the 2018 or 2010 elections.
With at least 200 seats certain for each party, the winner is likely to end up with a slim majority, which could make governing difficult. That has been evident over the past two years, when Republican infighting led to failed votes and leadership shakeups and undermined the party's efforts to cut spending and curb immigration.
Contested races in the heavily Democratic states of New York and California could decide control of the House of Representatives, although final results may not be known for several days as ballots in California can take days to count, and recounts and runoffs in contested races can take weeks.
Two primary races in Virginia may provide an early indication of how the battle may play out. A Republican victory in the 7th Congressional District, which includes part of Washington, could be a sign that the party has maintained its appeal in competitive districts despite the struggles of the past two years. A Democratic victory in the 2nd District, centered on Virginia Beach, could mean the party is poised for significant gains, said Cowie of the Cook Political Report.
North Carolina's First District, currently held by Democrat Don Davis, could also be telling, she said.
Voters in Delaware are expected to elect the first transgender member of Congress as Democrat Sarah McBride is poised to win the state's only House seat. McBride is running for the seat vacated by Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is running for a Senate seat. Blunt Rochester could also make history - if she wins the race and fellow Democrat Angela Alsobrooks also wins in the neighboring state of Maryland, they will be the first two black women to simultaneously hold office in that chamber.