Take Daily Mail's quiz and find out
For Donald Trump, it will be his final test at the ballot box – and a referendum on the first half of his second term.
asserted
it → take → term
By the end of Tuesday, over 100 million people will have voted in House and Senate races across the country, determining whether Democrats can capture control of both chambers.
asserted
Democrats → vote → chambers
Predictions have included that Republicans will be swamped by a 'blue wave,' even a 'blue tsunami' – but other experts have been more sanguine, suggesting the polls could be wrong.
uncertain
polls → include → wave
It's happened before.
asserted
It → happen → ?
Across the country, in conversations with voters, the Daily Mail has found the cost of living, gas and diesel prices, and disillusion with the Iran war to be the major issues, cutting across party lines.
asserted
cost → find → lines
Much of the frustration is aimed at President Trump, whose approval rating recently sunk to a record low of 36 percent in an average of polls, with disapproval topping 60 percent.
asserted
disapproval → aim → percent
The President embarked on a frenzied last month of campaigning, holding 25 rallies in vulnerable states during October to get the GOP vote out.
asserted
President → embark → vote
However, some believe the gains may be offset by his presence and rhetoric putting off independents, what one expert called a 'red undertow.'
uncertain
expert → believe → what
Some Republican candidates walked a political tightrope, embracing parts of Trump's agenda while distancing themselves from him on the Iran war.
asserted
candidates → walk → war
President Trump launched himself into two dozen rallies in October but will it save Republicans?
asserted
it → launch → Republicans
Should Democrats take the House and Senate it will lead to Trump spending his final two years in office blocked from getting much of his agenda through, and engulfed by congressional corruption investigations into himself and his family.
Held in the middle of each four-year presidential administration, the midterms see all 435 seats in the House, and 35 of the 100 Senate seats up for grabs.
asserted
midterms → take → grabs
Three dozen governorships are also being decided.
asserted
governorships → decide → ?
Currently, Republicans hold a majority of 218-214 in the House.
asserted
Republicans → hold → House
There are two vacancies and one independent who caucuses with Republicans.
asserted
who → be → Republicans
That means Democrats need only to flip three red seats to take control and all reputable experts have them as overwhelming favorites to do so.
asserted
experts → mean → favorites
It is mainly a question of how high they can push their majority in order to give Hakeem Jeffries, who would become Speaker, more capacity to rein in the democratic socialist wing of his own party.
asserted
who → push → party
Prediction market Kalshi has put the Democrats at about 93 percent odds of winning the House and at 71 percent of taking the Senate, as of Friday.
asserted
Kalshi → put → Friday
With the House almost certainly going Democrat, all eyes are on the Senate, where Republicans hold a majority of 53-47.
asserted
Republicans → go → 53
A 50-50 result after November 3 would mean Republicans keeping control, with Vice President JD Vance holding a casting vote.
asserted
Vance → mean → vote
Republicans would retain control of the committees Democrats hope to use to investigate Trump.
asserted
Democrats → retain → Trump
President Trump campaigned for Ashley Hinson, the Republican Senate candidate in Iowa
For victory, Democrats must make a net gain of four seats, taking them to 51.
asserted
Democrats → campaign → 51
Of the 35 seats being fought, Republicans currently hold 22, and Democrats 13.
asserted
Democrats → fight → 22
The simplest way for Democrats to win is to hold the vulnerable state of Michigan, and then take four of North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Texas, Kansas and South Carolina
If Republicans were to take Michigan it would be an enormous setback for Democrats and it has become a focus of the battle in the final days.
The seat is open as Democratic senator Gary Peters did not seek reelection.
asserted
Peters → win → reelection
Abdul El-Sayed, 42, the Democratic nominee, who would be America's first Muslim senator, has proved to be a lightning rod for Republicans.
asserted
who → prove → Republicans
President Trump has attacked him perhaps more than any other candidate, calling him a 'jihadist,' while Mike Rogers, 63, the Republican candidate, has tried to tie him to the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed, a former public health official, has disavowed the group and denied any connection with it.
asserted
Sayed → attack → it
He has also faced a backlash over links to the controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.
asserted
He → face → streamer
Michigan Democrat senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed has been a focus for Republicans as Democrats try to hang on to Michigan
The race is rated a toss-up by the influential Cook Report, which assesses that no state is giving Democrats as much 'heartburn' as Michigan.
asserted
state → try → Michigan
Meanwhile, Democrats are highly confident of taking North Carolina.
asserted
Democrats → take → Carolina
Former governor Roy Cooper holds an eight-point lead in polls over former Republican party chair, and Trump ally, Michael Whatley.
asserted
Cooper → hold → chair
Republican-aligned groups have pulled advertising money from the state to direct elsewhere.
asserted
groups → align → state
Should North Carolina go blue, Democrats would need three more wins from states currently rated 'toss-ups' by the Cook Report – Ohio, Maine, Iowa, Texas and Kansas, which hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932.
asserted
which → go → 1932
South Carolina, which hasn't done so since 1998, is also in the mix.
asserted
which → do → mix
While voters' concerns about the economy are universal, each state has its own issues and candidate dynamics affecting their race.
asserted
state → have → race
In Texas, which has threatened to go blue before, Democrat James Talarico, 37, a seminarian, has made his Christian faith at the center of his campaign.
But some on the religious right have accused him of deceiving voters and attacked him over previous comments about Jesus being 'non-binary' and there being 'six genders.'
asserted
Jesus → threaten → comments
Trump has laid into him as 'Talafreako,' falsely accusing him of being a vegan, and tried to boost the Republican candidate Ken Paxton, who has been beset by marital and corruption scandals.
asserted
who → lay → scandals
Texas Democrat James Talarico could turn Texas blue but President Trump has dubbed him 'Talafreako'
uncertain
Trump → turn → him
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola is ahead in polls against sitting Republican Dan Sullivan.
asserted
Peltola → sit → Sullivan
But the race has been roiled in the final week as the Justice Department escalates a criminal investigation into whether Democrats recruited a separate candidate in an effort to confuse voters.
asserted
Democrats → roil → voters
Sullivan appears on ballots as 'Dan S. Sullivan' alongside the labels of 'Republican' and "Incumbent," but a previously unheralded challenger is listed as 'Daniel J. Sullivan Jr,' without any party affiliation indicated,
asserted
challenger → appear → affiliation
In Maine, Democrats were on the backfoot in July when their nominee Graham Platner dropped out after a sexual assault allegation, which he has denied.
asserted
he → drop → which
…and 35 more, not listed.
The Aporia
