Midterms 2018: Early voting sees record-breaking turnout as Oprah heads on campaign trail for Stacey Abrams
The major elections are less than a week away
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Your support makes all the difference.The US is just four days away from the 2018 midterm elections on 6 November and races around the country are heating up.
Democrats are attempting to gain control of the US House and Senate in the wake of a contentious, partisan battle over the newly-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
There are several state and local races of importance, too, as the parties square off for control of state legislatures and local city councils.
Follow our liveblog below for all the latest as the elections approach
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Andrew Buncombe went on the campaign trail out west to highlight how Democrats are attempting to win the Republican stronghold of Orange County in southern California where Republicans like Ronald Reagan and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made their names.
Will a demographic shift affect voter turnout and give the left an edge as it fights to control both houses of Congress?
Read here:
↵Early voting has already begun in many states. Eligible, registered voters can cast ballots early if they are sure of their candidate choices and avoid the crowds on Election Day.
US readers can check their specific state's page for exact dates and polling locations.
Here is a calendar for when early voting is offered, if it is, across the country.
Early voting in states like Georgia and Texas have reached presidential election levels according to several monitors.
For reference, the last time there was a midterms election in 2014 less than 37 per cent of eligible voters showed up to the polls. It was the lowest turnout in 70 years.
While turnout for the 2016 election involving Mr Trump and Hillary Clinton saw 55 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots, that is still a relatively low number compared to democracies around the world and the lowest it had been for a US presidential election in 20 years.
But, this year has the potential to be different.
An estimated 70,000 people voted on the first day of early voting in Georgia, where Democrat Stacey Abrams looks to combat voter suppression efforts and her opponent - and current state secretary - Republican Brian Kemp.
She would also become the first African-American woman to be governor of a US state.
There are many issues on which Mr Trump's constant campaign events - and the past two years of his presidency - have had on this election cycle.
More women than ever are running and many see a chance to bring in a Congress more representative of their community's demographics.
On the flip side, however, there are more candidates than ever using islamophobic rhetoric in their campaigns, which critics say is a sign Republicans are taking their cues from the White House.
A thorn in Mr Trump's side the past two years is the FBI investigation into whether members of his campaign team colluded or not with Russian officials during the 2016 US election.
There were also parallel Senate and House intelligence committee investigations, the latter of which was closed due to "no evidence" by Republican chair Devin Nunes.
Democrats have said if they win control of the US House, the investigation will be re-opened.
One of the more exciting races of this election cycle could help Democrats get more control of the US Senate.
Texas Republican incumbent Ted Cruz has been trying to campaign against upstart Democrat Beto O'Rourke, as the latter has raised $60m to Mr Cruz's $34m.
According to the Centre for Responsive Politics, Mr O'Rourke has spent more than $38m already in a race most thought he would never have a chance.
Our own Chris Riotta followed the campaign trail in Texas recently to learn more:
The Cook Political Report, a longstanding newsletter and political analysis firm which examines election races, has recently changed their rating for several important races as Democrats seek to gain control of both houses of US Congress.
Their findings have led to say the race between former Health and Human Services Secretary Democrat Donna Shalala and Republican and former Telemundo journalist Maria Elvira Salazar will lean towards the 77-year-old Ms Shalala.
It is a surprising move given the pair are running in a district with a population that is 76 per cent Hispanic near Miami and Ms Shalala does not speak Spanish.
However the report suggested "anti Trump fervor" was the reason to change the rating from "toss up" to "Leans Democratic".
The report stated a similar "anti Trump" sentiment in the race Republican Ron DeSantis' US House seat, which he vacated in order to run for Florida Governor against Democrat Andrew Gillum.
"It should have been easy for Republicans to disqualify [Democrat Nancy] Soderberg as a liberal, elitist Clintonista in a Daytona Beach district President Trump carried 57 percent to 40 percent in 2016," Cook Political Report said in its analysis.
However, Ms Soderberg has taken Republican candidate Mike Waltz to task for supporting the Republican healthcare bill in a state full of retirees. She has also raised more money for her campaign than Mr Waltz.
As Mr Trump continues his unprecedented campaigning for Republican candidates, a group of approximately 7,000 migrants travelling by foot, truck, and river from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador up to the US-Mexico border.
The caravan is still about 1,000 miles away from the US and will likely dwindle in numbers in the coming days, but that has not stopped Mr Trump and Republican candidates from using it as campaign fodder in speeches and advertisements.
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