US midterm elections 2026 live: Americans go to the polls to decide control of Congress

Voters are casting their ballots across the US in a referendum on Donald Trump’s agenda Sign up for the Breaking News US email What are the races to watch and why do they matter? Midterm elections 2026: what time do the polls close today? It has just gone past 06:30 in North Caro

Voters are casting their ballots across the US in a referendum on Donald Trump’s agenda Sign up for the Breaking News US email What are the races to watch and why do they matter? Midterm elections 2026: what time do the polls close today? It has just gone past 06:30 in North Carolina , Ohio and West Virginia where polls have now opened.

Here are some of the key voter issues shaping the US midterm elections: The economy : Despite Trump’s 2024 campaign pledge to tackle affordability issues, the economy consistently ranks as voters’ top concern. Iran : Trump’s decision to go to war with the Tehran regime has exacerbated economic worries. Iran’s retaliatory decision to close the strait of Hormuz has driven up gasoline prices for US motorists.

It also represents a breach of his pledge to end the US’s supposed addiction to “forever wars”. Immigration : Enforcement and closing the border remains a signature issue for Trump. He repeatedly boasts of the impact of his closure of the southern border as one of his biggest achievements, making comparisons with the performance of Joe Biden.

AI and datacenters: AI has emerged as a key campaign issue, with surveys showing a majority of voters holding negative views on it, even as Trump champions its development and attempts to rename it “super intelligence”. Continue reading...