Maine, in the Northeast, stands out as an anomaly. It has voted majority Democrat in every presidential election since 1992, while consistently electing a Republican to the Senate since 1996. The electoral battle will be fought mainly in certain states more crucial than others. Franceinfo lists districts to watch as the votes are counted, on the night of Tuesday, November 3 to Wednesday, November 4.
In Pennsylvania, voters have always voted for the winner of the presidential election since 2008. Results from this Eastern state will be among the first published on Tuesday night into Wednesday.
The race looks very close for the four Republican incumbents in the first, seventh, eighth and tenth districts. Winning these four House seats could be enough for Democrats to take the majority in the lower chamber.
These midterm elections put control of Congress, currently held by the Republican Party, back in play.
The President of the United States is at his lowest in the polls. A Reuters poll of October 19 indicated a popularity level at its historic low since the start of his political career. In Virginia, one district will be particularly watched: the 1st congressional district. Normally, this Republican stronghold for two decades is not subject to contest.
The first results are expected from 8 p.m. local time, or 2 a.m. Paris time. The last polling stations close at 9 p.m. Washington time, or 3 a.m. Paris time.
In Texas, a Republican stronghold in the South, Democrats have not won a Senate election since 1988. According to analysts, this state will have to flip sooner or later, notably because of its demographic dynamics and the weight of Latino voters, who represent 40% of the population, as RFI recalls.