Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

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 

Clark Mindock
New York
,Chris Riotta,Mythili Sampathkumar
Thursday 01 November 2018 13:16 EDT
Comments
US Midterms 2018: The five big questions

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

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

Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load

Paramount to the midterm elections is the race for the house. Can the Democrats really do it? Here's reporter Clark Mindock with more on how this could happen... 

Lucy Anna Gray12 October 2018 18:35

Later this evening, Donald Trump is back out on road in Lebanon, Ohio for another 'Make America Great Again' rally.

Having already had one such event earlier in the week in Pennsylvania, Mr Trump will be looking to energise his supporter base ahead of the midterms. 

Chris Stevenson12 October 2018 18:58

Meanwhile, Democrat candidate for the Senate in Texas, Beto O'Rourke, has broken a nationwide fundraising record in his battle against Ted Cruz.

Chris Stevenson12 October 2018 19:03

We are ending our coverage for today, but please join us again as we count down to the midterms on 6 November.

Chris Stevenson12 October 2018 22:57

Voter enthusiasm is soaring ahead of the midterm elections -- especially among young people, minorities and Democrats, a new poll suggests.

Turnout during midterms is typically considerably less than during a presidential election year. In 2014, just 37 per cent of people voted -- the lowest percentage since World War II -- while 61 per cent cast ballots in 2016.

Here's US Editor, Andrew Buncombe, with more: 

Lucy Anna Gray15 October 2018 16:07

Actor Alec Baldwin has urged American voters to "overthrow" the US government led by Donald Trump at the ballot box.

Speaking at a fundraising dinner for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, he said: "The way we implement change in America is through elections. We change governments here at home in an orderly and formal way.

"In that orderly and formal way and lawful way, we need to overthrow the government of the United States under Donald Trump."

Lucy Anna Gray15 October 2018 16:19

The latest polls show that things are not looking good for President Donald Trump's party in the upcoming elections.

Mr Trump has personally seen his approval rating grow since August — up to 41 per cent from 36 per cent — but Democratic House candidates lead Republicans 53 to 42 per cent among voters, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.

The poll highlights the midterms of 2006, when Democrats held a similar lead in polls for House candidates. That year the party gained more than 30 seats. They need just 23 this year.

Clark Mindock15 October 2018 17:28

Donald Trump Jr has weighed in on the contentious Senate race in Texas, asking why anyone would think that candidate Beto O'Rourke is an authentic politician.

Mr O'Rourke has run a shockingly competitive campaign against Senator Ted Cruz in the state, which has not elected a statewide Democrat in decades.

Clark Mindock15 October 2018 18:01

Here's some more analysis of that ABC News/Washington Post poll we mentioned earlier.

This analysis shows that young people in particular are excited and motivated to vote in this year's midterm elections.

Clark Mindock15 October 2018 18:30

An often overlooked — but incredibly important — aspect of midterm elections are who winds up winning the handful of contentious governor races across the country.

As things stand, Republicans hold two-thirds of the nation's governor's seats. That's an astonishing number of seats, considering the often-overlooked power of state governors to lead their territories.

And, 36 seats are on the ballot across the country. An analysis of the most competitive seats this year has found that 18 of them are currently held by Republicans. That means Democrats could have a real fighting chance of regaining some more-local control.

Clark Mindock15 October 2018 19:00

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in