On the eve of a midterm vote, a president who is not on the ballot asked the people to vote as though he were, and the country's voters streamed to the polls in unusual numbers. The nation has long tested its own mood at these mid-course moments, asking whether power should stay where it is or move elsewhere. Now the answer rests in the hands of millions, with Congress balanced so narrowly that a few seats could redirect the final two years of a presidency.
Trump Urges Voters to 'Pretend I'm on the Ballot' as Midterm Polling Gets Underway
"Pretend I'm on the ballot" — from a man whose name isn't on it
Mark
Trump isn't on the ballot, so why is he telling people to pretend he is?
Mimi
Because he wants the midterms treated as a verdict on him. He said it in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday, at the last of several dozen rallies.
Mark
But some Republicans have been keeping their distance from him?
Luke
That's reported, yes, but the source gives no names or numbers. "Many" is a general description, so I'd be careful about how much weight it carries.
Mark
The early vote sounds big. What does it tell us?
Mimi
Fifty-seven million ballots were cast by Monday, and in many closely watched states early turnout beat four years ago.
Luke
Early turnout isn't the same as a result. It doesn't say who those voters picked, and it doesn't say what final turnout will be.
Mark
And the congressional math?
Mimi
Democrats need a net four seats in the Senate, but many competitive races are in historically red states. In the House they need only three.
Luke
Those are the thresholds. Nothing in this reporting predicts who wins either chamber.
Mark
So what's the real stake?
Mimi
The last two years of Trump's second term, and whether Congress keeps helping him deliver his agenda.
Il Polso
- Trump asked supporters to pretend he was on the ballot, even as many Republican candidates kept their distance from him.
- Fifty-seven million votes were cast early, and turnout in many closely watched states outran levels from four years ago.
- Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats, a steep climb through races in historically Republican states.
- In the House, only three seats separate Democrats from control, leaving the outcome open until the count is complete.
- The results will decide how much legislative room Trump keeps for his last two years in office.
On the eve of a midterm vote, a president who is not on the ballot asked the people to vote as though he were, and the country's voters streamed to the polls in unusual numbers. The nation has long tested its own mood at these mid-course moments, asking whether power should stay where it is or move elsewhere. Now the answer rests in the hands of millions, with Congress balanced so narrowly that a few seats could redirect the final two years of a presidency.
On the Sunday before polls opened, Donald Trump stood before a crowd in Salina, Kansas, and asked the voters in front of him to pretend he was on the ballot. It was one of the last of several dozen rallies he held in the closing weeks of the campaign. His name does not appear on any ballot this year, yet he has urged supporters to vote as if it did, while many Republican candidates have tried to keep some distance from him.
Voting is now underway across the country. By Monday, 57 million people had already cast ballots early, and in many of the closely watched states, turnout ran higher than it did four years ago.
The margins in Congress are tight. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the Senate to take the majority, a difficult path because the most competitive races are in states that have leaned Republican. In the House, they need only three seats.
What is at stake is the back half of Trump's second term. A Republican Congress helped him advance much of his agenda in his first two years, and the results will determine how much room he has for the final two. The reporting so far describes turnout and arithmetic rather than outcomes, so the count will tell the rest.
On the Sunday before polls opened, Donald Trump stood before a crowd in Salina, Kansas, and made an unusual request of the voters in front of him. "I really want you to pretend I'm on the ballot," he said. It was the last of several dozen rallies he held in the closing weeks of the midterm campaign.
His name is not on any ballot this year. But the president has asked supporters to vote as though it were, even as many Republican candidates have tried to keep some distance from him. That tension, between a president who wants the election to be about him and candidates who would rather it not be, has run through the final stretch of the race.
Voting is now underway across the country. Millions of US citizens cast ballots today, and by Monday another 57 million had already voted early. In many of the closely watched states, early turnout ran higher than it did four years ago.
The margins in Congress are tight, tight enough that one or two seats could decide who holds power. In the 100-member Senate, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take the majority. That is an uphill climb, because many of the most competitive races are being fought in states that have historically leaned Republican.
The House looks more open. In the 435-member chamber, Democrats need a net gain of only three seats to take control.
What is at stake is the back half of Trump's second term. A Republican-controlled Congress helped him deliver much of his agenda in the first two years. The results will determine how much legislative room he has for the final two.
The reporting so far describes turnout and the arithmetic of the contest, not outcomes. Watch the Senate races in historically red states and the handful of House seats that could tip the balance, as the count comes in.
Citazioni salienti
I really want you to pretend I'm on the ballot.— Donald Trump, rally in Salina, Kansas
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Politics & Governance