US midterm elections: Trump’s grip on Congress at stake
Americans are voting in midterm elections that could reshape the final two years of Donald Trump’s second presidency, with Republicans defending narrow majorities in both chambers of the US Congress.
The US-Israeli war on Iran and its economic fallout have put pressure on the Republicans. Fuel costs have squeezed households and businesses, with diesel prices reaching a record high in September.
Trump has blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries for worsening the global diesel shortage, repeatedly urging Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky to halt the strikes. He has also reached a deal with Moscow to secure additional supplies. Zelensky has rejected the criticism, accusing Trump of “deflecting the focus away from Iran.”
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats are being contested, alongside governorships in 36 states. Polling stations are open across the eastern US, following weeks of early voting in which more than 57 million people cast ballots, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
Support for Israel and funding for Ukraine have also exposed divisions over Washington’s priorities and spending abroad. A Democratic takeover could obstruct the Trump administration’s legislative agenda and open the way for investigations into the president. RT host Rick Sanchez projects an opposition victory in the lower chamber and two years of political gridlock, but questions whether either party would fundamentally change American foreign policy.
Calls for an alternative to the longstanding two-party system have also raised the question of whether independent candidates can turn public dissatisfaction into electoral gains.
Follow every turn here, from the polling stations to the battle for a majority. RT will bring you breaking developments, results, and reaction throughout the vote and count, with special coverage featuring Rick Sanchez in Moscow, Ben Swann in Miami, and Scottie Nell Hughes and John Kiriakou in Washington.
03 November 2026
17:46 GMTMore than 59.3 million Americans cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, according to the latest data from the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
- 17:27 GMT
It will take more than Trump’s pledge to cut off aid to Israel to restrain its actions against Iran, former US counterterrorism chief Joe Kent has cautioned.
In a post on X, he accused Trump of seeking a political “out” from responsibility for any further Israeli attacks, warning that Tehran would still retaliate against the US and its Gulf partners. Kent also urged Trump to demand that Congress remove proposed provisions expanding Israeli access to American defense and intelligence research.
A former Green Beret and CIA paramilitary officer, Kent resigned in March, saying Iran posed no imminent threat and that the war did not serve American interests. He has since portrayed the conflict as another US war fought on Israel’s behalf, following those in Iraq and Syria.
- 17:21 GMT
Former US President Bill Clinton has pitched a vote for Democrats as a way to “end senseless wars” and bring down living costs.
He also said the party would stop tariffs that make life more expensive. “It’s high time we put people first again!” Clinton wrote on X.
- 16:51 GMT
US Vice President J.D. Vance took a swipe at Democrats with a story about his four-year-old daughter choosing her brother’s favorite toys rather than unopened ones for the family’s Christmas donation drive.
“I got a little work to do,” he joked in footage shared by CBS News. “Maybe she’s a Democrat.”
Vice President JD Vance joked that his 4-year-old daughter, Mirabel, might be a Democrat after she picked out two of her brothers' favorite toys to donate to the family's annual Christmas toy drive. Speaking ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, Vance recalled asking his daughter to find toys to give away, only to discover she had chosen her brothers' favorites instead of unopened ones. "I got a little work to do," Vance joked. "Maybe she's a Democrat."
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 3, 2026 - 16:51 GMT
Ohio has broken its early-voting record for a midterm election, with more than 1.73 million ballots cast in person or returned by mail by Sunday, according to state figures reported by CBS News.
Nearly 1.1 million residents voted early in person – almost twice the roughly 550,000 recorded in 2022.
Ohioans broke early voting records, casting more than 1.7 million ballots ahead of Election Day. According to official data, 1,097,857 residents voted early in-person ahead of the elections, against 550,092 for the 2022 midterm. Combined with mail-in ballots already returned, a total of 1,730,111 Ohioans had cast their votes by Sunday, crushing the previous midterm election record of 1,461,578.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 3, 2026 - 16:35 GMT
Trump has floated an alternative political career, boasting of a 99% approval rating in Israel.
“So, I’m the number one,” he told Fox & Friends, adding: “In fact, if people ever got tired of me in the US, I’ll move to Israel, become prime minister.”
Back home, Trump’s job approval stands at 32%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted October 29-November 2.
- 16:27 GMT
Washington risks falling into an “escalation trap” in Iran, political scientist Dr. Shirin Saeidi warned in an election-eve discussion with Swann on America Now.
There is “no reason for the United States to be fighting Israel’s war and Israel’s battles,” she said.
The program also examines voters’ concerns over living costs and reports on key Senate races in Texas, Michigan, and Georgia. Watch the full episode.
- 15:55 GMT
Trump says he has reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end what he described as $4 billion in annual US aid to Israel after this year.
“We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel,” he told Fox & Friends, adding that the country could continue buying American weapons.
.@POTUS on aid to Israel: "It gets cut off at the end of the year… They don’t need it... Israel is a very thriving country." https://t.co/iIJbOv2kgU
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 3, 2026The existing agreement provides $3.8 billion annually in military assistance through 2028.
Israel’s Finance Ministry, Defense Ministry and military had no advance knowledge of the announcement and were surprised by it, Ynet reported. Unnamed senior economic officials warned of serious consequences for the economy.
“Giving up two years of aid is essentially $8 billion. Where will we get that from? Obviously, from citizens’ taxes,” the outlet quoted them as saying.
- 15:37 GMT
Republican candidates have sharply reduced mentions of Trump in their broadcast campaign advertising, despite his efforts to make the vote a referendum on his presidency, according to an Axios analysis of AdImpact data.
Mentions dropped from 66% to 3% in House ads and from 77% to 22% in Senate ads between the primaries and the general election period through October 26.
- 15:28 GMT
Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has praised Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for endorsing him and criticized rival Abdul El-Sayed’s views on Israel, NBC News reports.
Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to El-Sayed, backed Rogers on Sunday following disagreements with her party’s nominee over Israel and her participation in his campaign events.
El-Sayed has accused Republicans of diverting attention from voters’ concerns about the economy and high living costs.
