Tonight across the country the choices voters are making will resonate strongest on Capitol Hill — a fight for control of Congress and a divided nation.
Midterm elections are usually bad news for the party in power — in this case Democrats. Republicans need to net only five seats to take control of the House of Representatives, and only one to flip the Senate.
Some of the tightest Senate races are in places President Joe Biden flipped in 2020: Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz have gotten boosts from heavy hitters with names like President Biden, Obama and Trump.
"This election is your chance to make your voice heard with your vote," said Trump.
Republicans are hammering Democrats on the number one issue for voters — the economy.
"Inflation is crushing our pocketbooks, can't fill up our tank, can't fill up our grocery cart," said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.
Issues like crime, abortion and immigration are also driving people to the polls.
"I have two daughters, so reproductive rights are very important to me," said Adam Polk, a Missouri voter.
Seven in ten Americans tell The Washington Post Democracy is under threat.
"It's hard to trust anybody anymore," said Richard Shotts, a voter.
In Arizona, Republican candidates who falsely believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election are vying for governor, secretary of state and U.S. Senate.
"Anybody who was involved in that corrupt, shady, shoddy election of 2020 — lock them up," said Kari Lake, an Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate.
"If you've got an election denier serving as your governor, as your senator, as your secretary of state, as your attorney general, then democracy, as we know, may not survive in Arizona. That's not an exaggeration. That is a fact," said Obama.
Local officials nationwide are busy reassuring voters that elections are secure.
"We have representatives of the Democrat and Republican party working together. So even if you do have, you know, some, a sort of rogue actor, there's so many people watching them; we even do have the livestream cameras. There's so many checks and balances in our system," said Bill Gates, chairman of Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Click here for all of Newsy's headline stories and analysis for the midterm elections. Get up-to-the-minute results and important context for races across the country.
