Trump's Republicans scramble to stop Democratic midterms wave

Republicans in the U.S. made a final push on Sunday (November 1, 2026) to prevent a predicted thumping in U.S. midterm elections where Democrats are gunning to win control of Congress and impose a first political check on President Donald Trump's pursuit of power.Polls show Democrats are all but certain to take the majority from Republicans in the House of Representatives in Tuesday's (November 3) vote and have a real shot at winning the Senate.But after a decade of Mr. Trump defying political gravity and two years of a second presidency in which he has ridden roughshod over every norm, Democrats remain nervous."Nauseously optimistic," Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock told CNN to describe the mood.Those jitters increased on Sunday over an ugly party rift in Michigan, a key battleground where a Democratic congresswoman defected to back Republican Mike Rogers against the Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed.The consensus among analysts, however, is that Democrats are surging.Trump’s last-ditch ralliesMr. Trump headlined the Republicans' last-ditch charge, holding rallies for candidates in Iowa and Kansas — States where ordinarily his party should be confident of victory and not require presidential boosts.Along with making lurid claims that Democrats will turn the country communist, Mr. Trump is dangling the promise of $5,000 payments to everyone in the country if his party wins."We're going to win," he told the crowd in Iowa, painting Democrats as "extreme and dangerous radicals" who will "steal your wealth" and let in migrants to "ransack, rape and plunder."But polls show Americans have soured on Mr. Trump's wrecking-ball presidency.An NBC News poll released on Sunday showed 60% disapprove of Mr. Trump's performance, particularly over high prices exacerbated by his now eight-month, sputtering war against Iran.Curbing TrumpWhile Tuesday is election day, early voting has already seen a record 54 million people cast ballots around the country, reflecting the intense political fervour.Mr. Trump's second term has featured a relentless expansion of presidential power, aided by an ever-more docile Republican Party. US President Donald Trump listens as US Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS), Republican candidate for re-election, speaks during a midterm campaign rally at Salina Regional Airport in Salina, Kansas | Photo Credit: Reuters Mr. Trump has torn down part of the White House to build a ballroom, put his image on money and official buildings, disrupted the global economy with sweeping economic tariffs, and threatened to invade or annex allies like Canada and Greenland.A big Democratic win would kick start the post-Trump era and could even begin the race to replace him in 2028.Winning the House would put Democrats in charge of the federal budget and powerful committees set to probe allegations of corruption, Trump's links to infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and other explosive topics.The outcome of the contest for the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, remains in doubt.Only a third of the 100 seats are being contested in these midterms and few of the races were seen as favourable to Democrats. However, with surprisingly strong challenges mounted in deeply Republican states like Texas and Kansas, pollsters now say the odds of a Democratic flip are at minimum even.The final New York Times/Siena poll released Sunday evening showed Democratic candidates leading in all seven seats viewed as most competitive, though five remained within the margin of error.A Democratic Senate would be able to shut down Mr. Trump's lifetime appointments to courts — especially the Supreme Court.Will Trump accept results?The midterms have seen about $11 billion spent on advertising, with large chunks coming from individual mega-donors.Elon Musk, a close Trump ally who led the so-called DOGE effort in dismantling entire government departments, has given a staggering nearly half-billion dollars to help get Republicans elected.The campaigns have also been marked by blistering language and insults, led by Mr. Trump who falsely accused leading Democratic candidates of being everything from vegans to jihadists.And hanging over everything is concern that Republicans will refuse to accept a loss, leading to a constitutional crisis similar to Mr. Trump's attempt to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat.A federal judge on Sunday tossed out an extremely unusual attempt by Mr. Trump's administration to hold up a potential victory by a Democratic candidate for Senate in Alaska.The lawsuit contended that if Democrat Mary Peltola beats the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, the result should not be certified because there is a third, minor candidate also called Dan Sullivan, allegedly recruited by Democrats to siphon off votes.