America Votes In Midterm Elections, Trump Announces Halting Israel Aid

Americans began voting on Tuesday in one of the most consequential elections in recent times, widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump's presidency that has been marked by a prolonged war in Iran, rising inflation, trade wars and deep divisions in society.

On polling day, Trump sprung a surprise by announcing that the US will stop providing Israel USD four billion in aid from next year, which Democrat Ro Khanna described as a desperate attempt to stave off a “Blue tsunami”.

The polling will decide whether President Trump's Republican Party retains control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the two chambers of the US Congress, or, as opinion polls are predicting, the Democratic Party wrests control of at least the House if not the Senate, also in the final two years of Trump's second term in office.

Polling began on Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. eastern time in Indiana and Kentucky and in a staggered manner across time zones in the US. Polling began in California at 7:00 am local time (10:00 am Eastern) and in Alaska at 11:00 Eastern Time.

On the eve of the elections, the US launched limited strikes on Iran's Qesham island in the Hormuz Strait. Officials said that the strikes were in response to Iran firing at a US aircraft.

At stake in the elections are all 435 seats of the House and 37 seats in the 100-member Senate.

Elections are also being held for the post of Governor in 36 states, including in Ohio, where Indian American Vivek Ramaswamy is locked in a keen contest with his rival and Democratic nominee Amy Acton.

The first results are expected to trickle in from 5:00 am on Wednesday (India Time).

A number of Indian American candidates are in the electoral fray for posts ranging from Governor to city council members. Democrat Nithya Raman, who was born in Kerala, is locked in a keen contest with her former boss Karen Bass for the post of Mayor of Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the US.

Indian-American lawmakers Ro Khanna, Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal and Suhas Subramanyam are seeking re-election to the US House of Representatives, while fellow Democrats Pia Dandiya and Amish Shah are in the fray in competitive races to make their debut as Congresspersons.

On Monday, the Republicans and the Democrats made their final pitch to the voters, with Trump choosing an unusual venue – the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool – to focus on the renovations undertaken in the national capital instead of talking about tax cuts, tariffs and border security, which have been the high points of his election rallies.

According to the White House, Trump did a whirlwind tour of 20 states, mostly Republican strongholds, to address 30 rallies in the last 32 days. Analysts say his approval ratings are at an all-time low, and he has become a liability to Republican candidates.

If the pre-poll forecasts come true and Democrats take control of the US Congress, it will allow for deeper Congressional scrutiny and checks of Trump's actions, which will severely limit his ability to push his agenda. He will, however, retain the power to govern through executive orders, which will be valid for two years.

“We are reaching a boiling point in the country as a whole. There are the elites, the ruling class, the Epstein class that is truly 1 per cent that is wealthy, and there is the rest of us,” Shuchita Patel, a Democrat, who is running for the post of Forsyth County Commissioner, told PTI.

Trump acknowledged the possibility of his wings being clipped but indicated that he will not allow Congress to slow him down.

"I guess I'll become Mr Veto," Trump told the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast in response to a question on Republicans losing control of both Houses of the US Congress, referring to the presidential power to veto actions by Congress.

Former President Barack Obama boosted the Democratic campaign with rallies in Ohio, Michigan and Georgia, which clearly left Trump rattled.

“This election is our last, best chance of at least reining him in, reining in some of the foolishness of this administration,” Obama said in Georgia last week.

“It's the circuit-breaker in the system, and we need to flip it,” he said, taking Trump to task for focusing on White House renovations instead of issues affecting the people.

The upbeat Democrats, however, suffered an unexpected setback in the eleventh hour when Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan crossed over to the Republican side on Sunday, breaking ranks with Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who could be the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.

The Democratic Party quickly rallied behind El-Sayed by issuing statements condemning Stevens, who sprung a surprise by endorsing El-Sayed's Republican rival, Mike Rogers, and appearing alongside him in public.

Stevens lost in the Senate primary to El-Sayed. She is a staunch supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed is a fierce critic of the US ally.

The Democrats are hoping to flip seven Senate seats -- Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, Iowa and Alaska -- in their bid to gain a majority in the 100-member House.

Each of the 50 states in the United States is represented by two Senators who sit in the Congress for a six-year term. But the Senators are divided into three lots, and their terms are staggered so that elections are held every two years.

The House members are elected for a two-year term.

Republicans enjoy a majority in both chambers of Congress, but by thin margins.

In the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson has 218 Republicans and one independent, Kevin Kiley of California, against 214 Democrats, with two seats vacant.

The Senate is split 53-47 in favour of the Republicans. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to wrest control of the chamber. Of the 35 Senate seats are on the ballot, 22 are held by Republicans.

The mid-term elections are also crucial for Vice President J D Vance, who is burnishing his credentials to become a successor to Trump's mantle.

Vance made campaign stops in New York and Ohio on Monday, where Republicans were fighting for House and Senate seats.

He highlighted Trump's moves to end taxes on tips and overtime and secure the border while branding Democrats as "lunatics" who have contempt for American voters.

About 210 million Americans are registered to vote, according to USAFacts. California has the most registered voters, with 23.2 million, followed by Texas (17.4 million) and Florida (13.6 million). Together, they account for about 26 per cent of all registered voters.

Wyoming (278,468), Vermont (459,455) and Alaska (603,310) have the fewest.

According to the AP, more than 57 million ballots have been cast in 47 states and D.C. as of Monday, compared to a little under 44.5 million in 49 states and D.C. in 2022.