Republicans and Democrats vie for majority in both houses of Congress - US midterm elections, vote counting begins

[Washington Current Affairs] Votes were counted across the United States on the 3rd in the midterm elections in which the evaluation of the Trump administration will be questioned. The focus is on which party will control the majority in both houses of Congress, and the ruling Republican Party and the opposition Democratic Party are in a fierce battle. If the Republican Party, led by President Trump, loses the majority in either party, it will inevitably be a blow to the remaining two years of administration.

[U.S. midterm elections 2026 based on data]

According to US media, the Democratic Party secured victory in seven states including southern Virginia and Georgia for the Senate.

According to CNN TV, as of 8 p.m. ET on the 3rd (10 a.m. Japan time on the 4th), the House of Representatives (435 seats), where all seats are up for election, has 8 Republicans and 17 Democrats. Some predict that the Democratic Party will have a majority of 218 votes. If Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives, they are poised to block the passage of important legislation and strengthen their pursuit of the Trump administration through Congressional investigatory powers.

In the Senate (100 seats), 35 seats are up for election, including by-elections. There are 31 Republican seats and 34 Democratic seats that will not be up for election, and the outcome will depend on how many seats the Democrats can seize from the Republicans. It takes time to count votes, especially in fiercely contested areas, and there is a possibility that the results of many votes will be delayed. In Alaska, a candidate with the same last name as the incumbent Republican is running, so confusion is expected.