Volume 408 Issue 10566
31 October 2026
WORLD REPORT With an opportunity to overturn Republican control of Congress, Democrats hope to win voters’ support by focusing on cuts to health-care programmes. Susan Jaffe reports from Washington, DC.
The US midterm elections on Nov 3 will determine whether Republicans will continue to control Congress. Because presidential candidates are not on the ballot in these elections, turnout is typically lower—a fact President Donald Trump has sought to overcome as he campaigns in battleground states to shore up support for Republican congressional candidates: “You have to pretend that I’m on the ballot because when I’m on the ballot, you know we got the highest vote”, he said during a rally in North Carolina on Oct 20.
Democratic congressional candidates have also heard his advice and are devoting almost as much effort to criticising the president’s policies as they are battling their actual opponents. And in doing so, they are highlighting how out-of-control health-care expenses are part of the rising cost of living. [Continued here.]