US voters head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the US midterm elections with Democrats widely projected to retake control of the House, though control of the Senate remains up in the air. They will need to gain three seats in the House and four in the Senate to overtake the Republican majority. Losing either will affect President Donald Trump’s ability to pass legislation and act as a referendum on his second term. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Since WWII, both House and Senate have only flipped three times
Since World War II, the House and Senate have flipped from one party to the other in the same midterm election just three times: 1946, 1994 and 2006.
The common thread when it does happen is an electorate clamouring for change or broad frustration with the sitting president.
Governor Newsom warns Trump against interfering in California elections
“Donald Trump is trying to throw out 20,000 California ballots and intimidate election workers,” California’s Governor Gavin Newsom said in a post on Instagram, warning the president against repercussion if any interference was detected in the state’s election.
The Trump administration tried and failed to block California from counting 20,000 ballots from people the federal government had identified as “likely” noncitizens.
“Let me be CLEAR: If you interfere with our elections, California WILL come for you. No presidential pardon will save you,” Newsom wrote.
Courts reject Trump’s demand to remove ballots from suspected non-citizens
A US judge ordered the Trump administration on Monday to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on its lists of suspected noncitizens.
The ruling by US District Judge James Boasberg comes a day before the November 3 midterm elections, with President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans battling to maintain majorities in both houses of congress.
Boasberg found that the lists the administration had compiled were flawed, and included many people who were wrongly listed as noncitizens.
Welcome to the France 24 liveblog covering the US midterm elections. You can catch up on recent developments here.
• US President Donald Trump chose the backdrop of Washington’s Reflecting Pool – a landmark whose botched renovation symbolised the 80-year-old’s chaotic second term – to try and rally Republicans against a predicted Democratic win in the midterms.
• The Supreme Court rejected a push for California to set aside 20,000 mail ballots from people President Donald Trump’s administration claims are not citizens.
