Midterm elections in the USA: Will the country remain governable?

Midterm elections in the USA Will the United States remain governable? As of: November 3, 2026 • 1:44 a.m

The Republicans could be punished in the midterms, especially because of the enormous price increases caused by Trump's tariffs and the Iran war. The result could be a political stalemate. Is the USA threatened with a standstill?

In April of this year, Donald Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt promoted the president's economic policy with success reports: "Since Trump has been in office, eggs, dairy products, fruit and many basic foods have become cheaper. Fuel prices have also fallen by almost ten percent." Trump has thus kept his promise to lower prices.

But today, a good six months later, many Americans experience their everyday lives very differently. Like Elissa Bassena from Texas: "The economy may be booming," she says. "But many ordinary Americans barely know how to pay for gas, groceries or a family trip."

According to polls, US President Trump has disappointed many of the people who elected him in 2024. more

Around 250 million Americans are eligible to vote in the midterms. All 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 senators and in 36 states also the governors are elected.

The high cost of living is the dominant issue in congressional elections. The war with Iran has made gasoline and diesel, in particular, even more expensive. Electricity bills cause additional trouble in many places. Many residents blame new data centers that consume enormous amounts of energy.

Will the Democrats also succeed in their victory in the Senate? It will probably depend on contested states. more

In Virginia, there is growing concern that citizens will now have to pay for the expansion of the electricity grid. At a town hall meeting, a resident reported that his electricity bill would rise from an average of $250 to around $850 a month.

All of this also has consequences for voting behavior. In the most recent national polls, the Democrats are sometimes well ahead of the Republicans. But that doesn't mean they automatically win both chambers of Congress. In the House of Representatives, each constituency is decided individually. In the Senate, only a third of the seats are up for election.

Republicans are also expressing criticism because the midterm elections are coming up and there is no end to the Iran war in sight. more

And Trump still has staunch supporters - like Lisa Schacht, a farmer in Ohio. "Family, prosperity and freedom - these are values ​​that continue to be important to Americans. And that's exactly why many of us continue to stand firmly behind the Republicans," she says.

These midterms are also about how much power Trump still has in the next two years. If the Republicans lose their majority in the House of Representatives, the Democrats can block many of Trump's legislative proposals and open investigations into his administration. Trump, in turn, can veto laws he doesn't like. The political stalemate would therefore be practically inevitable.

If the Republicans also lose the Senate, it will be even more difficult for Trump to fill important government positions and judge positions. So there is a lot at stake for Trump - and for Americans the question of how governable their country will still be after this election.

This topic in the program: The First | daily news | 11/02/2026 | 8:00 p.m