US midterms on November 3 to decide control of Congress as Obama campaigns

Americans will vote on November 3 in midterm elections that decide which party controls the US Congress for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term. According to Al Jazeera, about 210 million registered voters are eligible. Trump is not on the ballot, but Congress writes the country's laws and controls federal spending.

France 24 reported that, ten days before the vote, former president Barack Obama went on the campaign trail for Democrats. It said he accused the Republican president of corruption, mocked his strategy on Iran and criticised the gilded style used in White House renovations. Al Jazeera's coverage carried the headline that Obama criticised Trump's 'cruelty and corruption'.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested. These include special elections in Florida and Ohio for seats left by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Voters in 36 states will also choose governors, along with state legislators and local officials.

Republicans currently hold a majority in both chambers. In the House they have 218 seats to the Democrats' 214, with one independent sitting with the Republicans and two seats vacant. A party needs 218 seats for a majority. Democrats need to gain three House seats to take control.

In the Senate, Republicans have 53 seats and Democrats have 45, with two independents who sit with them, giving the Democratic bloc 47. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach 51. A 50-50 split would leave Republicans in control because the vice president can cast tie-breaking votes.

Todd Belt, a professor at George Washington University, told Al Jazeera that since 1946 the president's party has lost an average of 26.5 House seats in midterms. He estimated that about 35 House races could decide the majority and predicted Democrats could gain about 15 seats, despite Republican redistricting that he said favours the party in nine additional districts. He said that if Democrats win one chamber, non-government funding legislation would stall.

Competitive Senate races named by Al Jazeera include Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, Maine and North Carolina, with Ohio, Alaska and Iowa also close. Election analysts say the growing number of competitive races has improved Democratic chances of winning the Senate. The new Congress will be sworn in on January 3, 2027.