Democrats and Republicans wrapped up their campaigns on Monday ahead of the US midterm elections. Polls suggested President Donald Trump’s approval ratings were near historic lows and that Republicans could lose control of the House, and possibly the Senate.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Monday found voters preferred Democrats over Republicans by 46% to 38% in the generic congressional ballot. The eight-point lead was narrower than the 11-point margin recorded in a poll a week earlier. The measure captures nationwide party preference but does not reflect the state and district contests that determine control of Congress.
Final projections from Decision Desk HQ put Democrats at 241 House seats, compared with 194 for Republicans, and forecast a narrower Democratic Senate majority of 52 to 48.
Republicans had argued during the campaign that Trump’s tax cuts and stricter immigration policies would benefit Americans, while portraying Democratic candidates as left-wing radicals. But at his final public campaign appearance on Monday, Trump spent little time discussing the economy and spoke at length about the troubled renovation of the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
“This is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important, I believe, of our lives,” Trump said during the speech. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it a “pathetic final message.” Trump also repeated a promise to send $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans won, saying the money would have to be spent in the United States.
Polls could underestimate support for either party, and Republicans were counting on a strong turnout. More than 57 million Americans had already voted early before Tuesday. The campaign generated more than $11 billion in political advertising, with Trump ally Elon Musk contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Republican candidates.
Concerns over whether Republicans would accept the results grew as election day approached. Trump has repeatedly claimed widespread fraud without presenting evidence, and tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The Justice Department had sued to block certification of Alaska’s Senate result if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan lost by a narrow margin, but a court rejected the effort on the eve of the election. The Supreme Court also rejected an emergency request to require California to set aside mail ballots from more than 20,000 people whose citizenship had been questioned.
Trump planned to follow the results at the White House on Tuesday night. He said that if Republicans lost control of Congress, he could simply challenge Democrats: “I veto everything,” he said.
Sources: Folha Mundo.