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On Tuesday, the United States is heading to the midterm congressional elections, in a vote that is seen as an important political test for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party, amid polling indicators that favor the Democrats, escalating competition in a number of crucial states, in addition to disagreements within the Democratic Party and intensifying controversy over the integrity of voting procedures.
The elections come at a time when Democrats are seeking to regain control of both chambers of Congress, after Republicans maintained the majority in them, while the ruling party is trying to maintain its political position during the second half of Trump's presidential term.
At the national level, the number of Americans who cast early votes exceeded 55 million voters, according to estimates reported by American media reports on the eve of the elections.
The ballot, in which nearly 210 million American voters vote, includes all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and 35 out of 100 seats in the Senate, in addition to gubernatorial elections in 36 states.
Opinion polls indicate that Democrats are entering the race with increasing hopes of achieving gains in the House of Representatives, while the competition for the Senate appears more complicated, with close races in a number of states that may determine the party controlling the House.
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American states recorded a remarkable turnout for early voting, an indication of voters’ interest in the elections, although it is not sufficient alone to predict the final results.
In Georgia, about 2.8 million voters cast their ballots before polling day, a record number in the state's midterm elections, and representing about a third of registered voters.
Particular attention is drawn to the state governor's race between Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson, with reports indicating a close race between them.
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In Iowa, Trump tried to rally Republican support during an election rally in the city of Dubuque, stressing his confidence in his party achieving strong results.
A number of his supporters expressed their support for the president, considering that he represents conservative values, while others acknowledged that the rise in fuel prices and the cost of living represented a challenge to the Republican Party.
Swing states are at the heart of the battle
Attention is focused on a number of states that are witnessing close competition, most notably Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Michigan, where candidates are running races whose results may directly affect the balance of power within the Senate.
In the state of Michigan, the intensity of competition escalated after Democratic Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the party's primary elections, announced her support for Republican candidate Mike Rogers, against Democratic candidate Abdul Sayed.
Stevens' position caused surprise within the Democratic Party, especially since she was Al-Sayed's competitor for the party's nomination, before she announced her support for his Republican rival on the last day of the election campaign.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described the move as a "disgraceful betrayal," while other Democratic officials and figures criticized it, considering it weakening the party's efforts to unify its ranks before the vote.
On the other hand, President Trump welcomed Stevens’ support for the Republican candidate, while the latter said that she was not abandoning her Democratic affiliation, but took her position because of her differences with Mr.
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In his first moves after Stevens announced his support for his competitor, Democratic candidate Abdul Sayed tried to refocus the campaign on livelihood issues, during an election rally in which Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren participated.
Al-Sayed accused his opponents of focusing on his name and religion instead of discussing economic and health programs, saying the Republican campaign "is entirely centered around my name and my religious belief."
Al-Sayed, an American doctor of Egyptian origins and a Muslim, proposes expanding the scope of health care and reducing the medical burden on citizens among his most prominent electoral priorities.
His campaign team also announced the raising of $2.4 million during the hours following Stevens' announcement of his endorsement of Rogers, an indication of the mobilization sparked by the dispute within the party.
But political analysts who spoke to the BBC reduced the possibility that Stevens' position would lead to a significant change in voters' attitudes, especially since more than two million people had cast their votes early in Michigan.
Matt Grossman, director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at Michigan State University, said Stevens' endorsement is "not good news for Mr," because it makes the Democratic campaign end up talking about internal division rather than electoral issues.
The cost of living and the economy are at the top of voters' concerns
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The competition is not limited to partisan divisions, as the cost of living, rising prices of fuel, food, and health care are among the most prominent issues that concern voters.
In Ohio, BBC correspondent Tom Bateman monitored growing concerns among voters about their ability to afford the costs of daily life, during a tour of early voting lines in Columbus.
One voter said: “You don't know whether you should buy fuel or a piece of meat and a slice of bread,” referring to the economic pressures facing families.
She added that the high cost of living makes daily choices more difficult, expressing her refusal to spend on wars at the expense of citizens’ needs.
The Trump administration also faces questions about its immigration policies, as Democrats believe that tightening deportation campaigns and security measures exceed acceptable limits, while Republicans still consider border security to be one of the president's most notable achievements.
BBC correspondents in Ohio pointed out that the issue that helped Trump rally support during the 2024 elections has become divisive even among some of his supporters, due to the nature of the deportation campaigns and their repercussions on immigrants and local communities.
The war with Iran also emerged among the issues that influenced the positions of some voters, as a BBC correspondent in Michigan reported testimonies from independent voters who opposed the war, despite their different positions regarding the candidates and party they wanted to support.
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