The U.S. Congress is in play — here are the midterm races to watch - Toronto Star

Trump's attacks on Canada have become a polarizing election issue in states key to the U.S. midterms, including Michigan and Maine. 

Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican candidate for Senate, speaks during a campaign rally at McMorran Place Arena in Port Huron, Mich., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. 

Tight races between Republicans and Democrats continue to heat up ahead of the U.S. midterm elections next Tuesday, with control of Congress up for grabs.

The stakes are sky-high for both parties. For the Republicans, it’s their narrow majority in Congress and what remains of President Donald Trump’s governing agenda.

For Democrats, it’s an opportunity to restrain Trump’s unprecedented use of presidential powers over the remainder of his term.

Polling shows Democrats are close to taking the House, where a net gain of three seats would give them a narrow majority.

Midterm election results in the U.S. tend to swing against the party of the sitting president — and Trump’s deeply unpopular policies, rising inflation and the war with Iran are putting many Republicans in peril.

“When we look at the polling, the feelings about Trump and the Trump administration are soured. In every poll, the trend has been down over the last two years,” said Marc Trussler, director of data science for the University of Pennsylvania’s program on opinion research and election studies.

A Michigan Republican’s pro-Canada ad is really about saving his own skin.