Voters Cast Midterm Ballots as Trump's 'Best Economy Ever' Claim Faces Its Referendum

Control of both chambers of Congress is at stake. Republicans currently hold the Senate and the House. All 435 House seats and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are up for election, and voters in 36 states will also choose governors. Tens of millions of early ballots were cast before Election Day.

Trump spent the closing days of the campaign on the road, staging several dozen rallies and urging his base to vote Republican. He told supporters to "pretend his name was on the ballot." In his closing arguments, he defended his administration's tariffs, claimed his second term had produced the "best" economy ever, and called Democrats extreme and dangerous.

Voters heading to the polls described a different set of concerns. They cited frustration with the high cost of living, fuel prices that spiked after the launch of the Iran war, and uncertainty over jobs and the economy in the age of AI. That gap — between the president's economic message and the pocketbook anxieties voters name — is the central tension of this election.

The stakes extend beyond which party holds the gavels. The outcome will determine whether there is a legislative check on Trump's use of executive power for the remainder of his term. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to win the chamber, and the fight is playing out largely on Republican-held turf. Down-ballot races for governor could shape the next presidential election and issues including abortion access.

What is not yet known is whether cost-of-living frustration will translate into Democratic majorities, or whether Republicans can hold their ground on a favorable map.