Trump Administration's 'Day of Reckoning'... U.S. Midterm Elections Begin

[Anchor]

Voting has begun in the United States midterm elections, which could determine the direction of President Trump's remaining two years in office. The election will decide whether the Republican Party, which currently holds majorities in both the House and the Senate, will maintain its advantage, or if the Democratic Party will reclaim congressional power to serve as a check.

First, reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the details.

[Reporter]

A polling station in New Jersey, near New York, is bustling with voters from early in the morning.

Beginning in the eastern region last night (the 3rd, KST), this U.S. midterm election will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 out of the 100 members of the Senate.

In the Senate, where the current balance is 53 to 47, the Democratic Party can flip the majority if it gains 4 more seats.

More than 56 million voters participated in prior early voting, setting a record high for a U.S. midterm election, with the participation rate of registered Democrats exceeding that of Republicans by more than 10 percentage points.

The core variable determining the outcome of this election, which serves as an interim assessment of the current administration, is the economy.

With soaring gas prices and inflation driven by the aftermath of the war in Iran, voters cited economic issues as the most critical concern.

[Phil Reilly / New Jersey: Interest rates are high, and inflation is high. The economy is very unstable.]

[Chris / New Jersey: Inflation is the most important thing. Like everyone else, it's really hard to afford living expenses these days. I don't expect too much, but I hope they'll at least try to make things better than they are now.]

Recently, President Trump's approval rating has plummeted to the 30 percent range, the lowest of his second term. In his final campaign speeches, President Trump also made remarks acknowledging the possibility of defeat, stating, "Incumbent presidents do not win midterm elections."

Voting will conclude first in Indiana and Kentucky at 8:00 AM today (KST), and wrap up around 3:00 PM in Alaska.

While the contours of the election results are expected to emerge as early as this afternoon, it could take longer for final results to be confirmed depending on the vote counting in swing districts, just as it took over a week to determine the House majority four years ago.

(Camera reporting: Lee Hee-hoon, Video editing: Jung Yong-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.