More than 53.6 million Americans had cast early ballots in the United States midterm elections by midday Sunday, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida. The figure is already above the roughly 46 million early votes recorded during the entire 2022 election process.
In-person early voting ended Sunday in states including New York, while deadlines differ across the country. Mail-in ballots could further increase the national total. Of the votes counted by midday, about 29.8 million were cast in person and 23.9 million were submitted by mail.
Participation has been particularly strong in states with competitive Senate contests. More than seven million voters had already cast ballots in Texas, while Georgia and North Carolina also reported substantial early turnout.
The elections will determine all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats and numerous state governorships. The results will shape the balance of power in Washington over the next two years.
President Donald Trump has intensified his campaign efforts in an attempt to preserve Republican control of Congress. Although he is not on the ballot, Trump has presented the elections as a test of the first two years of his second term and of his political agenda.
Over the weekend, Trump held rallies in Iowa and Kansas, traditionally Republican states where Senate races have attracted national attention. In Iowa, he spoke for more than two hours and endorsed Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn, saying he expected a major victory on Tuesday.
Trump is also relying on virtual events known as tele-rallies. Nine such events were scheduled for Monday, the day before the election. He was also due to deliver a speech near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington that afternoon.
The president’s confidence contrasts with weak approval ratings. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on October 26 found that 32% of American adults approved of his performance, close to the lowest level recorded during his second term. Among registered voters, 47% said they preferred Democratic congressional candidates, compared with 36% who favored Republicans.
The economy is a central concern. In the same survey, 73% of respondents said the cost of living was moving in the wrong direction. Democrats also reported greater motivation to vote, with 46% of their voters saying they were highly motivated, compared with 30% of Republicans.
Michigan has become one of the most closely watched Senate contests. Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost her party’s primary to Abdul El-Sayed, announced Sunday that she was supporting Republican candidate Mike Rogers. The decision created an unusual split within the Democratic Party just two days before voting.
The dispute is linked mainly to differences over Israel and the war in Gaza. El-Sayed, an Egyptian-American Muslim, has accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians and criticized U.S. military support for the country. Stevens has also objected to campaign-related material connecting U.S. support for Israel with the rising cost of living, as well as to the participation of political commentator Hasan Piker in El-Sayed’s events.
Michigan Democratic Party chairman Curtis Hertel accused Stevens of abandoning the principles she had claimed to support, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described her endorsement of Rogers as a betrayal. El-Sayed sought to shift attention back to his policy proposals.
Trump welcomed Stevens’s decision and attacked El-Sayed at the Iowa rally, associating him with extremist groups without presenting evidence of such ties. Democratic leaders denounced the remarks as racist and Islamophobic. The Michigan race is strategically important because Democrats are trying to retain the seat held by retiring Senator Gary Peters.
Republicans are combining efforts to mobilize conservative voters with appeals to independents, focusing on immigration, public safety and the economy. Some Democratic candidates, meanwhile, are seeking to avoid direct confrontation with Trump and to attract voters across party lines.
Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa, has criticized political polarization and described the two major parties as private clubs. At his rallies, he asks attendees about their political affiliation and invites them to sing “America the Beautiful” together.
The two parties are also closely watching Latino and Asian American voters, groups that increased their support for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Recent polling suggests that some of those voters may be moving away from the Republican Party.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted between late September and early October found that 51% of registered Latino voters preferred Democratic House candidates, compared with 24% who favored Republicans. Among Asian American voters surveyed, 56% preferred Democrats and 16% Republicans. Eighteen percent of Latino voters remained undecided.
Immigration policy is one source of dissatisfaction. According to the Pew survey, 62% of registered Latino voters said the Trump administration was going too far with deportations. Views were less uniform among Latino voters who supported Republican congressional candidates: 47% said the administration’s approach was appropriate, while 33% wanted stricter measures.
Changes in turnout among Latino and Asian American voters could influence close races, although some dissatisfied voters may abstain or remain undecided. The election will show whether Republicans can maintain control of Congress or whether Democrats can expand oversight of the White House and place new limits on Trump’s agenda.
Sources: G1.