Six Things to Watch as Voters Decide Control of Congress, Reuters Says — Democrats Need Four Seats in Both Chambers, and the Senate Hinges on Six to Eight Races
Tuesday's midterms are the first nationwide verdict on President Donald Trump's second term. Reuters' Election Eve watch list runs from the four-seat math in both chambers to 1,000 Justice Department monitors — and New Jersey's 13 federal races sit inside every line of it.
Americans head to the polls on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term, Reuters reports in its Election Eve watch list — the first nationwide verdict on Trump's presidency, revealing whether voters want to check his power or accept the status quo despite frustrations over the cost of living and the war with Iran. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in both chambers to overturn Republicans' narrow majorities — 218 to 214 in the House and 53 to 47 in the Senate. They are widely expected to reclaim the House, Reuters says, but the Senate battle remains highly competitive, and the scale of any gains will shape Trump's ability to advance his agenda for the rest of his term.
The Senate fight will likely hinge on six to eight races, Reuters reports: Democrats need to flip several Republican-held seats in states Trump carried by double digits in 2024, including Ohio, Iowa, Alaska and Texas, while holding Michigan and picking up Maine; even Kansas, which Trump won by 16 points, has become competitive in recent weeks. The first clues will come early, from Republican-held House seats in Florida and Virginia — victories in competitive districts would point to a solid Democratic night, while wins in more Republican-leaning areas could signal a much broader backlash. Election officials, Reuters notes, have warned that close races could spark disputes over eligibility, counting and certification, and Trump's Justice Department plans to deploy about 1,000 monitors nationwide on Election Day, roughly triple the number used in the last midterms.
Money is the last item on the list, and it is not close. Republicans held a significant financial advantage, flooding the airwaves with an overall spending edge of several hundred million dollars once party committees and outside groups are counted, Reuters reports — Trump spent more than $277 million, mostly through his MAGA Inc. super PAC, on a late blitz for struggling Republican candidates, and Elon Musk spent roughly $366 million in the cycle supporting Republicans, according to the Federal Election Commission data Reuters cites. Whether that advantage swayed tight races, or whether prices and the Iran war mattered more, is one of Tuesday's open questions. New Jersey voters answer their share of it in 13 federal races — all 12 House districts and the U.S. Senate seat — with polls open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
