U.S. midterm elections begin, vote counting begins, majorities in both houses of Congress focus on: maintaining the republic or regaining democracy?

[Washington Current Affairs] Voting was held on the 3rd in the midterm elections in which the evaluation of the Trump administration will be questioned, and the votes were counted on the same day. With President Trump's approval ratings declining, the focus is on whether the ruling Republican Party will be able to maintain a majority in both houses of Congress, or whether the opposition Democratic Party will regain control. If the Democratic Party gains a majority on either side, it will inevitably be a blow to Trump's remaining two years in office.

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

According to US media and other sources, the Democratic Party has an advantage in the House of Representatives (435 seats), where all seats are up for election. Some predict that the number will exceed the majority of 218 based on advance predictions. If the party gains control of the House of Representatives, it plans to block the passage of important legislation and strengthen its pursuit of the Trump administration through its powers of investigation.

In the Senate (100), 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, so the focus is on how many seats the Democrats can seize from the Republicans this time. 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.