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Democrats Eye Both Chambers of Congress in Midterms
· Confirmed
In Short: Democrats aim to win both chambers of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
The current Republican majority in the House of Representatives is as thin as it gets, with 218 representatives, plus one independent who votes with them.
The Cook Political Report suggests that just 21 districts are 'toss-ups' that could be won by either party.
Trump's poor ratings contribute to Democrats' optimism about winning both chambers of Congress, despite the president's pledge to 'end inflation and make America affordable again.'
The main event for voters will be electing members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, both currently controlled by Republicans.
Trump promised to issue a 'dividend' of $5,000 to every adult citizen if Republicans win both chambers, a proposal that would cost over $1 trillion and faces skepticism.
Democrats need to pick up four seats to retake the Senate, with an open Senate seat in Pennsylvania seen as a must-win.
Republicans view the open Democrat-held seat in New Hampshire as a top flip opportunity to maintain their slim majority.
The midterm elections will determine whether Republicans can hold onto their control of both chambers or if Democrats can secure a majority.
The House and Senate have limited fall agendas before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with President Trump having already signed a continuing resolution funding the government through Dec. 11.
Democrats blocked a Republican proposal just before the midterms, ridiculing it as a 'feel-good measure' designed to boost the sponsor's election chances.
Trump's approval rating began his second term at just over 50%, but it quickly fell into the 40s.
National pro-life groups plan to spend $160 million in the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election cycles.
What's confirmed
- "If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them," the president told attendees at the GOP's first midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, "I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000."
- What he called the “Trump Dividend” would carry an estimated cost of more than $1 trillion for the government, even excluding the administrative expenses involved, and most remain skeptical that the president can finance the checks in the event of a two-chamber Republican victory.
- Trump made the promise of a so-called “Trump dividend” at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday night.
- Republicans haven't won a Senate election in New Hampshire in 16 years, but they view the open Democrat-held seat as a top flip opportunity in the fight to hold their slim majority in the midterm elections.
- Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pappas said, "I think Netanyahu's being incredibly reckless right now. He faces voters in a matter of weeks and could lose his election. And I think that would be important to set a new tone for the U.S.-Israel relationship."
What's still developing
- But in presidential elections it is one of the crucial swing states - Michigan voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 but Trump in 2024.
- "Whatever happens tonight, we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that [Republican] Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the US Senate." The open Senate seat is almost a must-win for Democrats if they want to take control of Congress's upper chamber and try to thwart Trump's agenda.
- "Let's rise above the politics that often drag this place down and deliver for the American people." But Democrats were in no mood to hand Husted a legislative victory just before the midterms, as they ridiculed his bill, calling it toothless — arguing the plan was just a feel-good measure designed to boost Husted's election chances in November.
- Dannenfelser said Cassidy, who is facing a Trump-backed primary challenger, Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., “deserves all of our support” in his primary, which is scheduled for May 16.
- “I sense that this administration during these two years hasn’t quite met expectations that the Latino community had as far as GDP growth and bringing down inflation to you know 2% or less,” Daniel Garza, president of the LIBRE Initiative, told the Washington Examiner.
- “When people tell you who they are, believe them. When Hasan Piker says America deserved 9/11, believe him,” said Cruz.
- On Wednesday, he also compared the promised dividend with the $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” announced for military service members in December, which was funded by a congressionally approved housing supplement.
- "If we hand America's future to the radical-left Democrats, our nation will spend the next decade just getting back on its feet," Trump said.
- "Vote Republican and we will leave the world in our dust for generations to come." Trump urged the crowd to pretend he's running in November and said there were about 35 key races in the Senate and House as his party hopes to maintain control of Congress.
- Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in an Aug. 30 interview with CBS News that the product was “the result of painstaking, sometimes painful, negotiations” also involving the Trump administration.