By Fatma Younis
Polls opened Tuesday for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, with voters casting ballots in states including Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, and Kentucky. The contests are widely viewed as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.
Trump's Final Appeal
On Monday evening, Trump called into Sean Hannity's Fox News program to make his closing argument to voters. The call came shortly after the United States launched new airstrikes against Iran, though Trump did not mention the military action. He discussed the conflict with Hannity, insisting it was not a war.
Midterm Stakes and Expectations
Trump described the midterms, which will determine control of Congress for the remainder of his term, as the most important "in our lifetime." In an apparent effort to manage expectations, he cautioned that the sitting president "doesn't win the midterms" and added that "we gave this a very strong shot." He also devoted a significant portion of his remarks to Washington, D.C., building projects, including the troubled revamp of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which he has consistently blamed on vandals—a claim his own administration has not supported.
Voting Trends and Projections
Many voters have already cast ballots in what are the most expensive midterm elections in U.S. history. While Democrats have been favored to retake the House of Representatives from Republicans, the battle for the Senate remains on a knife edge.
