Control of Congress is at stake and so is a president's agenda

WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of Congress is is at stake on Tuesdaywith always tight races for the House of Representatives and Senate That will determine which party has the majority and the power to advance or block a president's agenda, or whether the White House will face it divided Capitol Hill.

The most important contests are taking place in parallel with the first presidential election since January 6, 2021, Attack on the Capitolbut also in unexpected corners of the country after what has been one of the most chaotic congressional sessions in modern times.

In the end, just a handful of seats, or even just one, could tip the balance in both chambers.

The economy, border security, reproductive rights and even the future of US democracy itself everyone interrupted the debate.

In the Senate, where Democrats currently have a narrow majority of 51 to 49, West Virginia is expected to see an early boost for Republicans. The resignation of independent Senator Joe Manchin creates an opportunity for the Republican Jim Justicenow governor of the state, is favored to win. A surge there would leave the chamber deadlocked at 50-50 as Republicans try to seize control.

The focus is on top house races new York And Californiawhere, in a politically unusual twist, Democrats are trying to win back some of the 10 or so seats where Republicans have made surprise gains in recent years with star lawmakers who helped bring the party to power.

Other House races are scattered across the country, a sign of how narrow the field has become, with only a few dozen seats under serious challenge, some of the most contested in Maine, the “blue dot” around Omaha, Nebraska and elsewhere Alaska.

Vote counting could extend well beyond Tuesday in some races.

“We are within striking distance of taking back the House of Representatives,” said the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffrieswho is standing in line Making history as the first black speaker if his party wins control, said The Associated Press during a recent campaign sweep through Southern California.

But the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnsondrawing closer to Trump, predicts that Republicans will retain and expand their majority. He took over after Kevin McCarthy was fired from the speaker's office.

Capitol Hill can decide the priorities of a new White House by donating Trump or Harris potential allies or adversaries in the House and Senate, or a divided Congress that could force a period of compromise or stalemate.

Congress can also play a role in upholding the American tradition of peaceful transfer of presidential power. Four years ago, Trump sent his supporters to the Capitol for a “hellish fight,” and many Republicans in Congress voted to block him Joe Biden's Choice. Congress will again be asked to certify the results of the 2025 presidential election.

What began as a lackluster race for control of Congress was transformed immediately As Harris stepped in for Biden at the top of the ticket, he energized Democrats with massive fundraising and volunteer efforts that lawmakers said reminded them of Obama-era enthusiasm in the 2008 election.

In the tight battleground over the 435-member House of Representatives and the 100-member Senate, the parties and outside groups have spent billions of dollars.

The Democrats must win a handful of seats in the House of Representatives to wrest party control away from the Republicans. In the Senate, the vice president is the deciding factor in a split that would hand control of that chamber to the winner of the White House.

Senate Republicans have rolled out a sweeping map of opportunity, recruiting wealthy newcomers to defend Democratic incumbents in nearly 10 states across the country.

In Ohio, Trump-backed Republican Bernie Moreno, a Cleveland businessman, is trying to unseat three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Around $400 million was spent on the race.

One of Montana's most-watched Senate races could be one of the last to be decided. Democrat Jon Tester, a popular three-term senator and “dirt farmer,” is fighting for his political career against Trump-backed Tim Sheehy, a wealthy former NAVY Seal who has made disparaging comments about Native Americans, a key voting group in the western state.

And in the “blue wall” battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republicans are relying on Trump as they try to unseat a trio of incumbent Democratic senators.

Outgoing Republican leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell has focused his career on winning and maintaining majority power, but other opportunities for Republicans are faltering.

In the Southwest states, rebellious Republican Kari Lake of Arizona battled Democrat Ruben Gallego for the seat left vacant by the resignation of Sen. Krysten Sinema. In Nevada, Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen prevailed against newcomer Sam Brown.

The Democrats intensified their challenges a pair of Republican senators — Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott in Florida — in states where reproductive rights took center stage following the Supreme Court's decision that limited access to abortion. Cruz faces Democrat Colin Allred, the Dallas-area congressman, while Scott has poured $10 million of his own fortune into the race against Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former House member.

Congress has the opportunity to achieve several history-making milestones as it is reshaped by the American electorate and becomes more representative of a diverse nation.

Not one, but possibly two Black women could be on the way to the Senate, something that would never have happened in the US

Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware is the favorite in the Senate race against Republican Eric Hansen.

And in Maryland, Harris ally Angela Alsobrooks is in a closely contested race against the state's popular former governor, Republican Larry Hogan.

Americans have elected two black women, including Harris, as senators since the nation's founding, but never at the same time.

Candidate for the House of Representatives Sarah McBrideA state representative from Delaware who is close to the Biden family is poised to become the first openly transgender person in Congress.

The fallout from redistricting, in which states are redrawing their congressional district maps, is also shifting the balance of power in the House of Representatives – Republicans are expected to gain several seats from Democrats in North Carolina, and Democrats will gain a second black-majority seat in Republican-dominated Alabama voting districts.

Representatives in the House of Representatives face voters every two years, while senators serve longer than six years.

If the two chambers actually flipped party control, which is possible, it would be rare.

Records show it would be the first time that both chambers of Congress would be split between opposing political parties if Democrats took the House and Republicans took the Senate.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.