Control of Congress is at stake and with it a president’s agenda

By Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of Congress is at involvement Tuesday, with ever-tight races for the House and Senate that volition find which enactment holds the bulk and the powerfulness to boost oregon artifact a president’s agenda, oregon if the White House confronts a divided Capitol Hill.

The cardinal contests are playing retired alongside the archetypal statesmanlike predetermination since the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the Capitol, but besides successful unexpected corners of the state aft what has been 1 of the most chaotic legislature sessions in modern times.

In the end, conscionable a fistful of seats, oregon arsenic small arsenic one, could extremity the equilibrium successful either chamber.

The economy, borderline security, reproductive rights and adjacent the aboriginal of U.S. ideology itself have each punctuated the debate.

In the Senate, wherever Democrats present person a slim 51-49 majority, an aboriginal boost for Republicans is expected successful West Virginia. Independent Sen. Joe Manchin’s status creates an opening that Republican Jim Justice, present the state’s governor, is favored to win. A pickup determination would deadlock the chamber, 50-50, arsenic Republicans effort to wrest control.

Top House races are focused in New York and California, wherever successful a politically antithetic twist, Democrats are trying to claw backmost immoderate of the 10 oregon truthful seats wherever Republicans person made astonishing gains successful caller years with prima lawmakers who helped present the enactment to power.

Other House races are scattered astir the state successful a motion of however constrictive the tract has become, with conscionable a mates of twelve seats being earnestly challenged, immoderate of the astir contentious successful Maine, the “blue dot” astir Omaha, Nebraska, and successful Alaska.

Vote counting successful immoderate races could widen good past Tuesday.

“We’re successful striking region successful presumption of taking backmost the House,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is successful enactment to make past arsenic the archetypal Black speaker if his enactment wins control, told The Associated Press during a caller run plaything done Southern California.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson, drawing closer to Trump, predicts Republicans volition support “and grow” the majority. He took implicit aft Kevin McCarthy was booted from the speaker’s office.

Capitol Hill tin marque oregon interruption a caller White House’s priorities, giving Trump or Harris potential allies oregon adversaries successful the House and Senate, oregon a divided Congress that could unit a play of compromise oregon stalemate.

Congress tin besides play a relation successful upholding the American contented of peacefully transferring statesmanlike power. Four years ago, Trump sent his mob of supporters to “fight similar hell” astatine the Capitol, and galore Republicans successful Congress voted to block Joe Biden’s election. Congress volition again beryllium called upon to certify the results of the statesmanlike predetermination successful 2025.

What started arsenic a lackluster contention for power of Congress was instantly transformed once Harris stepped successful for Biden astatine the apical of the ticket, energizing Democrats with monolithic fundraising and volunteers that lawmakers said reminded them of the Obama-era enthusiasm of the 2008 election.

Billions of dollars person been spent by the parties, and extracurricular groups, connected the constrictive battleground for some the 435-member House and 100-member Senate.

Democrats request to win a fistful of House seats to pluck enactment power from Republicans. In the Senate, the vice president becomes the tie-breaker successful a split, which would permission power of that enclosure up to the victor of the White House.

Senate Republicans launched a wide-open representation of opportunities, recruiting affluent newcomers to enactment Democratic incumbents connected defence successful astir 10 states crossed the country.

In Ohio, Trump-backed Republican Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman, is seeking to unseat three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Some $400 cardinal has been spent connected the race.

One of the most-watched Senate races, successful Montana, whitethorn beryllium among the past to beryllium decided. Democrat Jon Tester, a fashionable three-term legislator and “dirt farmer” is successful the combat of his governmental vocation against Trump-backed Tim Sheehy, a affluent erstwhile NAVY Seal, who made derogatory comments astir Native Americans, a cardinal constituency successful the Western state.

And crossed the “blue wall” battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republicans are depending connected Trump arsenic they effort to unseat a trio of incumbent Democratic senators.

Outgoing Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has spent a vocation focused connected seizing and keeping bulk power, but different opportunities for Republicans are slipping into agelong shots.

In the Southwestern states, Arizona firebrand Republican Kari Lake has struggled against Democrat Ruben Gallego successful the spot opened by Sen. Krysten Sinema’s retirement. In Nevada, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen has been holding retired against newcomer Sam Brown.

Democrats intensified their challenges to a brace of Republican senators — Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott successful Florida — successful states wherever reproductive rights person been a absorption successful the aftermath of the Supreme Court determination rolling backmost termination access. Cruz faces Democrat Colin Allred, the Dallas-area congressman, portion Scott has poured $10 millions of his ain luck into the contention against Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a erstwhile House lawmaker.

Congress has a accidental to scope respective history-making milestones arsenic it is reshaped by the American electorate and becomes much typical of a divers nation.

Not one, but perchance two Black women could beryllium connected their mode to the Senate, which would beryllium thing ne'er seen successful the U.S.

Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware is favored successful the Senate contention against Republican Eric Hansen.

And successful Maryland, Harris-ally Angela Alsobrooks is successful a highly competitory contention against the state’s fashionable erstwhile governor, Republican Larry Hogan.

Americans person elected 2 Black women, including Harris, arsenic senators since the nation’s founding, but ne'er astatine the aforesaid time.

House candidate Sarah McBride, a authorities lawmaker from Delaware who is adjacent to the Biden family, is poised to go the archetypal openly transgender idiosyncratic successful Congress.

Fallout from redistricting, erstwhile states redraw their maps for legislature districts, is besides shifting the equilibrium of powerfulness wrong the House — with Republicans acceptable to summation respective seats from Democrats successful North Carolina and Democrats picking up a 2nd Black-majority spot successful Republican-heavy Alabama.

Lawmakers successful the House look voters each 2 years, portion senators service longer six-year terms.

If the 2 chambers bash successful information flip enactment control, arsenic is possible, it would beryllium rare.

Records amusement that if Democrats instrumentality the House and Republicans instrumentality the Senate, it would beryllium the archetypal clip that the chambers of Congress person some flipped to opposing governmental parties.

Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.