Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress and shape President Donald Trump's ability to advance his agenda during his final two years in office.
More than 54 million people had already voted early. Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both chambers, with rising prices and the war on Iran weighing on the party's standing. Democrats must flip four Senate seats and three House seats to wrest control of the chambers.
Winning the House would allow Democrats to block legislation and launch investigations into the administration. Taking the Senate would also give them the power to reject Trump's nominees, including federal judges.
Democrats have homed in on the president's approval rating, public dissatisfaction with the war in Iran and affordability concerns. Trump declared in a television interview that "inflation is solved" — even though his Commerce Department says consumer prices rose 3.6 percent in September from a year earlier.
The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern, with results arriving throughout the night. Close contests could leave control of one or both chambers unresolved beyond election night.
