FORT WORTH, Texas — The Trump era could effectively end Tuesday if Americans decide to hand Democrats control of Congress.
Democrats in the House and Senate are already plotting how to rein in President Trump — and even impeach him a third time — if they take back the majorities.
All that stands in their way is Republican turnout on Tuesday, which the GOP is hoping will be robust enough to blunt the supposed blue wave so many analysts and some polls predict.
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In a closing campaign speech Monday in Washington that also served to promote the newly refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Mr. Trump said if “just a good portion” of voters who backed him in 2024 show up at the polls on Tuesday, “We will win in a landslide.”
Some early voting data hint at an advantage for Democrats.
In Texas, for instance, where control of the Senate could hinge on a toss-up race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, there was a surge in early ballots cast in areas with more Hispanic and Black voters, who tend to vote blue.
SEE ALSO: Trump spends final day of midterm campaigning talking about Reflecting Pool
Democrat-turned-Republican Riz Khan, a Pakistani-American who lives in Fort Worth, fears an influx of new residents from neighboring blue states could make it hard for Mr. Paxton to win and keep the state red.
He’s not sure how the election will turn out for the GOP.
“It’s going to depend on the final day,” he said. “And I’m telling you, it’s going to be tough.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters dismissed gloom-and-doom predictions. While Democrats typically have an advantage in early voting, he said, GOP voters show up in bigger numbers on Election Day.
President Trump’s October blitz, totaling 29 rallies in battleground states, will drive up the Republican numbers on Tuesday, Mr. Gruters said.
“He believes he can turn out voters in a way that nobody else does,” Mr. Gruters told The Washington Times.
SEE ALSO: Americans put more than control of Congress to the test in the midterm elections
Democrats are also aggressively pushing their voters to show up on Tuesday, framing the election as the party’s chance to hold Trump accountable.
“I refer to November 3 not simply as election day, but as judgement day,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, said during a campaign rally in Virginia. “The American people are going to judge these MAGA extremists and run them out of town for what they’ve done to our economy, to our military, to our families, our farmers, and to the American people all across the country.”
Democrats will be in a position to block all GOP legislation if they win just one chamber in Congress.
It would greatly reduce Mr. Trump’s ability to advance the Republican agenda outside of executive actions. If Democrats seize control of the Senate, they’ll be able to stall and block judicial appointments, including a Supreme Court justice if a vacancy arises.
They’ll also gain control of committees and subpoena power, which would ensure Mr. Trump’s final two years are tied up in Democrat-led investigations.
Democrats must net four additional seats to win back the majority in the Senate. In the House, the magic number is just three seats. Party control will come down to a half-dozen Senate races, including Texas, and roughly a dozen House races that are considered very competitive or too close to call.
Polls in battleground races have slightly favored Democrats as Republicans battle voter discontent with high prices and the president.
Mr. Trump, perhaps hedging ahead of a tough day for Republicans on Tuesday, pointed out, as he often does, that the president’s party historically loses seats in midterm elections.
“But we gave this a very strong shot,” he said.
While Mr. Trump remained in Washington Monday, Vice President J.D. Vance held rallies in Rome, New York, and Swanton, Ohio, where he urged Republicans to get out and vote for GOP candidates in battleground House, Senate and governor’s races. He asked crowds of supporters to take to the polls “every person you know, so long as they’re legally eligible and not Democrats, who haven’t voted yet.”
Mr. Trump’s closing campaign message showcased the refurbished reflecting pool, part of his effort to restore the city’s run-down monuments.
The speech also touted the tax cuts, lower crime, border security, fraud reduction and other accomplishments of his second term.
He repeated his warning to voters that if Democrats win, those achievements could well be erased.
He also warned that Democrats have shifted to the far left, thanks to candidates that embrace socialism and deep opposition to Israel. “The Democrats want to blow all of this up by electing communists jihadists to the United States Congress. We will not allow that to happen,” he said. “We have to keep our Congress strong and free.”
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