US voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to elect members of Congress in Midterm elections that could challenge President Donald Trump’s political agenda. The results will determine control of the House of Representatives and part of the Senate for the second half of his term, which began in January 2025.

All 435 House seats are up for election, along with 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Voters will also choose 36 governors, state legislators and other public officials.

If Republicans retain majorities in both chambers, they would be better positioned to advance Trump’s legislative priorities. A Democratic victory could make those plans harder to pass and create room for investigations into the administration.

The election also follows a divided result for Trump in the 2018 midterms. Republicans increased their Senate majority from 51 seats to 53, while Democrats and two independents aligned with them held the other 47. In the House, Republicans lost 42 seats and the majority, ending the election with 199 seats to the Democrats’ 235.

Polls cited in the report point to challenges for Republicans, including voter concerns over fuel and food prices and the war in Iran. A Quinnipiac University poll published on September 10 found that 49% of voters wanted Democrats to control the House, compared with 38% who favored Republican control; 13% did not express a preference.

Turnout may also affect the outcome, as voting is not compulsory in the United States. In a Reuters/Ipsos survey, 46% of Democrats said they were very enthusiastic about voting in November, compared with 31% of Republicans.

A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Monday found Trump’s approval rating at about 32%, unchanged from the previous week and just above a low of 31% recorded two weeks earlier. Among registered independent voters, about half said their congressional vote was a way to oppose Trump; 13% said they would vote in his favor, while 33% said he was not a deciding factor.

In the poll’s generic congressional ballot, 46% of registered voters said they would vote for Democrats and 38% for Republicans. The eight-point Democratic lead was narrower than the 11-point margin recorded the previous week. The national survey interviewed 1,765 US adults online and had a margin of error of two percentage points.

Sources: CNN Brasil.