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The Independent UK

Politics

Mythili Sampathkumar, Clark Mindock, Chris Riotta

US midterm polls - LIVE: Early voting sees record-breaking turnout as Oprah heads on campaign trail for Stacey Abrams

The US is just five days away from the 2018 midterm elections on 6 November and races around the country are heating up.

Democrats are attempting to gain control of the US House and Senate in the wake of a contentious, partisan battle over the newly-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

There are several state and local races of importance, too, as the parties square off for control of state legislatures and local city councils.

Follow our liveblog below for all the latest as the elections approach

2018-11-01T21:07:18.133Z

Those are all the updates from today but stay tuned every day until 6 November for more reports about key races in the midterms, the latest polling data, and the president's reactions.

2018-11-01T21:03:15.860Z

The migrant caravans, a total of approximately 7,000 people, have been a charged topic in the 2018 midterms.

Donald Trump has called the group "criminals" and said there were dangerous "unknown Middle Easterners" attempting to enter the US illegally. It is no coincidence he is using this rhetoric of "invasion" during his many political rallies not just in border states, but in other rural parts of the US to stoke his supporters.

Read more of our reporting from Mexico, through which the caravans are currently travelling by foot and truck to make it around 1,000 more miles to the US border, and the changes to asylum rules Mr Trump has proposed changing.

Follow the latest from the migrant caravan approaching US border

2018-11-01T20:29:22.006Z

No doubt there has been lots of talk about the president's influence on 6 November's down-ticket races but Democrat Nancy Soderberg, running for US House in northeastern Florida, is hoping to leave Mr Trump out of the conversation.

She squares off with Republican candidate Mike Waltz for the seat vacated by Ron DeSantis who is running as Democrat and current Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in the governor's race.

This Democrat is hoping to flip a Trump district blue by leaving him out of the equation

2018-11-01T19:22:08.676Z

The big races are not just in Texas, Georgia, and Florida though. As Democrats battle for control of the US House and Senate, Tennessee has emerged as a state to watch.

Republican Senator Bob Corker is retiring, leaving it an open race between fellow Republican - and supporter of Mr Trump - Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Phil Bredesen, former governor of the state.

The latest polls from NBC News and research firm Cygnal put Ms Blackburn ahead of Mr Bredesen by as much as six points, but the election is still five days away.

Read more here:

Taylor Swift, high voter turnout and a toss up Senate race - why Tennessee is one to watch at the midterms

2018-11-01T18:56:54.740Z

Watch Oprah's speech and read more about her appearance on the campaign trail in Georgia here:

Oprah says she is supporting Democrat Stacey Abrams for 'men and women who were lynched'

2018-11-01T18:52:19.440Z

Many US states have early voting, brought about after civic organisations argued only have polling places open on a Tuesday with limited hours is a hindrance for hourly workers or those needing to take public transportation.

States designate certain days and certain locations as available for early voting so voters do not have to fill out absentee ballots either.

In 2014, the last midterms elections, voter turnout was an abysmal 36 per cent overall and only 12.9m had been cast by the Wednesday prior to the election. This year that number is closer to 25m.

Read more here:

Record-breaking early voter turnout nearly doubles from 2014, six days before historic election

2018-11-01T18:31:21.676Z

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is certainly confident about her party's chances to control the US House after this year's elections.

Democrats have not had control of the 435 seats in the lower chamber of Congress since 2010. They currently have 194 seats and will need at least 218 to "flip" it.

Read more here:

Nancy Pelosi confident Democrats ‘will win’ back control of the US House

2018-11-01T17:53:20.030Z

Vice President Mike Pence, also in Georgia to stump for Republican candidate Mr Kemp, tried to join in on the celebrity entourage coming out for Ms Abrams - which now includes the likes of Will Ferrell and Michael B Jordan knocking on Georgians doors.

“I heard Oprah is in town today. I heard Will Ferrell was going door-to-door the other day. I’d like to remind Stacey and Oprah and Will Ferrell, I’m kind of a big deal, too.

2018-11-01T17:13:56.873Z

Oprah was just stumping for Stacey Abrams and quashed any rumours she was there for a potential run for office herself.

She said: "I want to make it very clear ... I don't want to run, okay? I'm not trying to test any waters. Don't want to go in those waters. I'm here today because of Stacey Abrams".

"I've earned the right to think for myself and to vote for myself, and that's why I am a registered independent," the billionaire multimedia mogul said. It appeared to be a direct appeal to her own diverse fanbase to come and vote for the Democratic candidate for Georgia governor.

2018-11-01T16:16:07.366Z

Cygnal also indicated to The Independent another race the country was watching was in a "statistical tie".

The race to become Florida's next governor is heavily dependent on supporters of Mr Trump.

“President Trump’s image is weighing heavily on Florida voters as they pick their next governor and US Senator,” said Josh Pendergrass Cygnal’s director of client strategy.

“The key is going to be who shows up to vote and the final partisan composition. If supporters of the president turn out, Republicans will probably win, if not, Democrats have a shot at both the Governor’s mansion and maintaining their US Senate seat, he noted.

As Democrat and current Tallahassee, Florida, Mayor Andrew Gillum and Republican candidate Ron DeSantis fight it out so do Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Rick Scott, who is the term-limited current governor of the state which Mr Trump won in 2016.

2018-11-01T16:06:53.133Z

Cygnal, a national polling firm, has just released the latest results which show Mr Kemp leading Ms Abrams by 2 points, 49 per cent to 47 per cent.

The poll was conducted live telephone survey conducted 28 -30 October but also indicated only 39 per cent of those surveyed had participated in the state's early voting.

A Fox News poll just a few days ago however, showed Ms Abrams leading but within the margin of error.

She noted that margin of error in right-leaning news organisation's poll was really "whether you show up to the polls" to voters gathered in an Atlanta barbershop for a campaign event which The Independent attended.

2018-11-01T15:39:39.860Z

Ms Abrams' and Mr Kemp's race has the makings of a top-rate political drama: racial tensions evoking the troubled past of the American south, the historic oppression of black women even after the civil rights movement, accusations of voter suppression levied at Mr Kemp whose secretary of state office monitors state elections, and celebrity turnout.

But it is anything but fiction as Ms Abrams draws the likes of Barack Obama and Oprah to the campaign trail in what could be the biggest victory the country has seen since Mr Obama's in 2008.

Here's another report from The Independent's time in Georgia.

Oprah and Barack Obama campaign for Stacey Abrams historic governor run

2018-11-01T14:12:12.480Z

Another major race the country has its eyes on is Democrat Stacey Abrams' bid to become the first African-American female governor in the US and Georgia's first female governor as she runs against Republican and current Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

The Independent followed Ms Abrams on the campaign trail around Atlanta, Georgia.

Read more here:

Stacey Abrams does not want votes 'just because I'm a black woman' running for governor of Georgia

2018-11-01T14:01:45.876Z

A string of packages containing pipe bombs and one with a suspicious "white powder" were sent to several prominent Democrats and news network CNN - all vocal critics and targets of Mr Trump.

Suspect Cesar Sayoc, arrested last week in Florida, is said to have had a list of 100 potential targets and the upstart Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, Beto O'Rourke may have been one of them.

Mr O'Rourke's race against Republican incumbent Senator Ted Cruz is one of the most hotly-contested, expensive races this year.

Beto O’Rourke ‘received threats via Facebook’ from Cesar Sayoc

2018-11-01T13:55:56.856Z

There are just five days until the first nationwide election after Donald Trump became president.

Here is a recap of the seven things we are watching for in the 2018 midterms.

7 things to look out for in the first election of Donald Trump’s presidency

2018-10-31T19:10:20.000Z

With a recent surge in Democratic support, it appears a more realistic pursuit than ever for the Democratic Party to take back the House in the upcoming midterms.

But can they really do it? Reporter Clark Mindock analyses the path to victory.

Will democrats really take the house? Here's everything you need to know

2018-10-31T18:50:20.000Z

Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle have released this video ahead of the midterm elections urging their supporters to “vote Republican,” promising to “Make America great.”

The video - complete with climactic background music - goes on to attack the “mainstream media” and “liberal mob”.

2018-10-31T18:30:20.000Z

There are six days left until the first election since Donald Trump was elected president of the United States — and he appears to be taking advantage of every minute and resource at his disposal in order to help garner support for the Republican Party.

The Washington Post has just published this piece detailing what it’s like inside the White House during midterm hell week, writing, “President Trump is mobilizing the vast powers of the military and other parts of the federal government to help bolster Republican election efforts, using the office of the presidency in an attempt to dictate the campaigns’ closing themes and stoke the fears and anxieties of his supporters ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.”

‘Pushing every button’: Trump mobilizes the government in campaign’s final days

2018-10-31T18:10:20.000Z

Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has tweeted a message encouraging his supporters to vote, using the hashtag #BringItHome and sharing a video highlighting his campaign across the state.

The Florida mayor is currently polling in a statistical dead heat with Ron DeSantis, the state’s Republican candidate for governor.

2018-10-31T17:50:20.000Z

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The 2018 midterm elections has seen a wave of progressive candidates bringing historic campaigns and enthusiasm to deeply red states like Texas.

Here's how Democratic US Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke managed to gain unprecedented support for his campaign in the Lone Star state - and why that movement doesn't end with a win or lose come November.