Hakeem Jeffries is on his way to take over as Speaker of the US House of Representatives

If he assumes the presidency of the Council (as the first black president), Democrat Hakeem Jeffries (56 years old), who represents an electoral district in New York City, will lead the majority that will be sworn in in the first week of January, after Republicans controlled the Council during the past four years. “Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries said in his victory speech late yesterday, Tuesday, after the media predicted that Democrats would gain a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Jeffries attacked the Republican agenda led by Trump in Congress over the past two years, pledging to pass legislation that would cancel sharp cuts in spending on the Medicaid health care program for the poor and people with disabilities, which had been passed by law on July 4, 2025. Jeffries said, “The American people have spoken and made it clear that they are tired of extremism and tired of corruption. They want a Congress that actually works for the benefit of the American people.” Jeffries has long said that while his parliamentary bloc will focus on helping the poor and middle class cope with rising costs of living, Democrats will also investigate the Trump administration's dealings with corporate executives, including those who donated huge sums to his various campaigns and projects. But he stopped short of saying that the House of Representatives under his leadership would attempt to impeach Trump for a third time with the aim of impeaching him.

The first polling stations in the United States closed on Tuesday at the conclusion of the midterm elections, which will be decisive for the remainder of Donald Trump’s second term, as Republicans may lose the majority in Congress to the Democrats, which may lead to restrictions on his powers.

These midterm elections are being held amid competition for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate seats, in addition to a large number of positions at the local and state levels.

These elections may lead to a radical shift in the balance of power within Washington. Cautious optimism prevailed among Democrats as they watched Republicans pump tens of millions of dollars into the final phase of the election campaign into states and districts that Trump had easily won two years ago.

But it may take time for clear indicators to emerge about the new balance of power in Washington.

Parts of Indiana and Kentucky were the first areas where polling stations closed at 6 p.m. (23:00 GMT).

Texans are heading to the polls in unprecedented numbers. More than 7.7 million people cast early ballots in the 2026 midterm elections. This represents more than 40 percent of registered voters, a new record for a midterm election in Texas.

Noticeable electoral participation

In 15 counties, the number of votes cast during early voting exceeded the total number of votes cast in the entire 2022 midterm elections. There is a noticeable increase in the participation of Hispanic voters, which is an important segment in a state like Texas.

All eyes are on the Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Tallarico. Texas has not elected a Democratic senator since 1988, but this time the contest is very close. Recent opinion polls indicate a slight lead for Talarico, but the difference is still too small to predict the winner.

A DW correspondent spoke to dozens of voters in Austin and El Paso. Many of them said they were concerned about the economy, political corruption, and deep divisions in the United States. Some of them said that these divisions matter to them even more than fuel prices.

Is Texas shifting to the Democratic camp?

DW's Isaac Holmberg and Benjamin Alvarez Gruber met voters who previously supported Donald Trump but now support Democrats. One of them said: “I'm hurt. I mean I'm hurt because I'm an American and I'm suffering.”

There's also another big question: Can money buy elections? According to the New York Times, Elon Musk spent about $168 million (150 million euros) to support Republicans in the Senate elections. But despite all this spending, the race in Texas remains tight and hotly contested.

Texas may make history tonight. The question remains: Will you finally move to the Democratic camp (blue), or will you remain in the Republican camp (red)?

DW reporters conducted on-site interviews with voters in some key US states on the sidelines of the midterm elections, including Michigan and Texas. Here are some interesting opinions:

Andrew Wu of Detroit, Michigan, told DW he supports Abdul Sayed "because of his focus on providing universal health care through Medicare for All and making the cost of living more affordable for Michigan families."

He added: “You can sometimes feel hopeless about the current political situation. I think it is always encouraging to see real people on the ground making change and doing their civic duty.”

“Republican Party policies have set our country back.”

As for Skylar Schmidt, he told DW: "The Republican Party's policies have really set our country backwards. I think the international community sees that, and we see it here as well. I think the Democrats, or at least some members of the party, basically want to return to respecting human rights, and return to serving the people of Michigan and the people of the United States, instead of spending our money elsewhere in the world."

“The economy is a big issue – this is not what we were promised.”

In Texas, many voters DW spoke to focused on the economic situation and how it affects their lives.

Wilson Ehonfebere, who supported Donald Trump in the 2024 election, said: “The economy is a big issue. You know, things are getting very expensive now. This is not what we were promised.” "I came here on foot because I can't drive my car. I walked here. I'm 67 years old," he added

Criticism of the dominance of money in politics

Others seemed more frustrated and disappointed. Steve Schafer told DW that he would not vote for either Democrat James Talarico or Republican Ken Paxton. He also criticized billionaire and technology man Elon Musk for his donations to the Republican Party, most of which were poured into the election race in Texas, where many of his companies are headquartered.

He added: “It is very difficult to have an effective democracy when there is such a clear imbalance in economic power, which in turn turns into political power.”

The Senate elections in Michigan are witnessing a competition between Democratic candidate Abdul Rahman (Abdul) Al-Sayed and Republican candidate Mike Rogers.

Abdel Rahman El-Sayed is an Egyptian-American, Muslim, and Rhodes Scholar with experience in public health. He previously served as Director of the Department of Health, Human Services and Veterans Affairs for Wayne County, which includes metropolitan Detroit.

As for Mike Rogers, he represented the Eighth District of Michigan in the US House of Representatives between 2001 and 2015, and he had previously been a member of the Michigan State Senate from 1995 to 2000.

Al-Sayed is known for his frequent criticism of the American relationship with Israel. Both Donald Trump and Rogers have attacked him, accusing him of anti-Semitism.

Al-Sayed beat out Representative Haley Stevens to become the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat.

In a surprise move over the weekend, Stevens - a Democrat - announced her support for Republican Rogers, against the gentleman who had defeated her in the Democratic primaries, in a move welcomed by Trump. She justified this by objecting to Al-Sayed's criticism of Israel.

US President Donald Trump once again expressed his confidence in his Republican Party achieving victory in the US midterm elections taking place today, Tuesday, at a time when recent opinion polls tend in favor of the Democrats.

Trump said in statements to Fox News, "I think the results will be better than you expect." He added that he is convinced that his party, the Republican Party, will maintain its majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Millions of Americans participate in the elections to determine the composition of the two legislative chambers that make up the US Congress.

Recent opinion polls were not in favor of the Republican Party.

Although Trump himself is not a candidate in these elections, the vote is viewed as a referendum on his policies, as the results of the midterm elections will determine the features of the remaining two years of the Trump administration's term.

Opinion polls predict that the Democrats will win the majority in the House of Representatives, and may seize control of the Senate as well, taking advantage of voter dissatisfaction with a president whose popularity level is severely low, rising energy costs, and the continuing conflict with Iran.

Losing Republican control of the House of Representatives would give Democrats the ability to disrupt Trump's legislative agenda and launch wide-ranging investigations into his administration.

Their defeat in the Senate will undermine his ability to appoint Supreme Court judges and senior officials.

Preliminary results for the US midterm elections are likely to begin appearing on Tuesday evening as polling stations begin to close, but it may take hours or even days before the results of some close election races become clear.

The first polls in Indiana and Kentucky will close at 6pm local time (23:00 GMT), followed by Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia an hour later.

Votes cast on Election Day are often counted before mail-in votes, which means the overall result may change significantly as the count progresses.

Results will roll in throughout Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, with states announcing their vote tallies.

American media may begin to announce their expectations and results based on exit polls, as well as on preliminary data issued by state election officials.

In 2022, Senate election results were not decided until four days after Election Day, while House election results took eight days. As for the midterm elections that preceded it, the results were already clear on election night.

US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rivals are concluding their campaigns on Monday on the eve of the midterm elections in the United States, the result of which opinion polls suggest that Republicans will lose control of Congress, even partially.

Polls show that the Democratic Party is in a position to control the House of Representatives, and may even be able to seize a majority in the Senate. A poll published on Sunday by NBC News showed that 60 percent of respondents disapproved of Trump's performance, especially due to the sharp rise in the cost of living, which was exacerbated by the war on Iran.

Trump said, "This is the last day before the midterm elections, and I believe they are the most important midterm elections in our lives," in a speech he delivered Monday in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. He focused mostly on his project to renovate monuments and memorials in the capital, before he touched on the upcoming election.

Trump: I will veto everything

After Trump expected his Republican Party to win the elections, he acknowledged on Monday that the result might be different. "I think we'll do great, but if we don't win, I'll veto everything," he told a New York Post podcast. "And then they'll come to us, and we'll probably make deals."

Cautious optimism on the part of Democrats

On the other hand, the Democrats prepared to organize their final electoral rallies in swing states, including in Texas with the participation of James Tallarico, and in Kansas with the participation of Adam Hamilton, two of the most prominent candidates for the Senate seeking to achieve major surprises. Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock spoke to CNN of "anxious optimism."

Despite their lead, Democrats are cautious after opinion polls previously misestimated the size of the mobilization in the “MAGA” movement, which are the first letters of Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Early voting exceeds 54 million people

Voting will take place on Tuesday for 35 seats in the Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Republicans have a narrow majority in both chambers.

More than 54 million people have cast ballots so far in the US midterm elections, according to an analysis by the Associated Press (AP). The tally includes in-person early voting and mail-in voting.

In many of the states witnessing the biggest battles for Senate seats, early voting exceeds what it was four years ago in the midterm elections.

On Monday, the administration of US President Donald Trump appealed to the Supreme Court in an attempt to exclude thousands of disputed mail ballots in the state of California, after an appeals court rejected a request to exclude about 20,000 ballots from people the federal government suspects may not be US citizens.