Washington DC - A month ahead of the US midterms, the Democrats are eyeing potential control of Congress – and the power to put President Donald Trump on the defensive for the rest of his term.

The November 3 vote is shaping up as a verdict on one of the most turbulent presidencies in US history – and, by several measures, Trump goes into it less popular than any predecessor facing midterms in modern polling.

Americans will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators, alongside governors in 36 states. The election decides who controls the legislature – which passes laws, sets the budget, and polices the White House.

Forecaster Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats a 75% chance of winning the House, projecting a 234–201 majority. It rates the Senate a near coin flip, with Democrats narrowly favored to take it 51–49.

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Control of the House alone would hand Democrats powerful committees and subpoena authority.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries – himself unpopular within the Democratic Party – has vowed to "hold the crooks accountable" and says that, in the majority, his party would move to reverse Trump's tariffs, end US involvement in the Iran war, and restore health insurance subsidies. He has left the door open to a third Trump impeachment.

A Senate win would go further, letting Democrats block Trump's judicial and cabinet nominees.

"The midterms could go down as one of the greatest self-inflicted political wounds in history," said political analyst and former Senate aide Andrew Koneschusky.

"From the impact of tariffs to the Iran war, so much of the economic pain the American people are feeling, and the political pain Donald Trump's party will likely feel in November, was entirely avoidable."