It’s a fight to the finish in races that will determine control of Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — The last doors are being knocked, ads are blaring and candidates are making a past transportation to voters. Even pinch nan high-energy last push, nan races for control of Congress are astatine a stalemate, fundamentally a toss-up for nan House and conflict to nan decorativeness for nan Senate.

The result of Tuesday’s predetermination will style nan country’s future, determining whether nan caller White House has friends aliases skeptics connected Capitol Hill — aliases faces a divided Congress for illustration this past session, which has been among nan most tumultuous and unproductive successful modern times.

As voters measure their statesmanlike options betwixt Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, they besides are sizing up who will correspond them successful Congress.

“This is why I’m an independent,” said elector Gary Motta of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, who isn’t happy pinch either prime for president, arsenic he showed up astatine an early Sunday greeting arena for Republican Kevin Coughlin, who is trying to unseat Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes.

The struggle for power of Congress has gone connected for months. Candidates person tussled complete nan large issues — nan economy, nan border, reproductive wellness attraction and nan early of populist — but besides complete Congress itself, which had a chaotic session arsenic nan GOP-led House ousted its speaker and hardly fended disconnected authorities shutdowns.

This is nan first statesmanlike predetermination since nan Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected nan Capitol, and galore Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s White House triumph complete Trump are up for reelection.

Republican candidates, galore backed by nan erstwhile president, are uncovering themselves having to reply for him connected respective fronts. Among them is nan determination by nan Supreme Court, pinch 3 justices who were nominated by Trump, that ended nan correct to abortion access

Democrats look reliable questions complete nan Biden-Harris grounds connected nan U.S.-Mexico separator and connected ostentation during their clip astatine nan White House.

Most of nan intimately contested House campaigns are being waged beyond nan statesmanlike plaything states, including successful New York and California, wherever Republican Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted arsenic speaker and past near Congress, had made inroads successful his location state. Democrats nether New York’s Hakeem Jeffries, nan party’s House leader, are now trying to triumph them back.

Starting Saturday, California Rep. Pete Aguilar, nan Democratic caucus chairman, is making a nine-stop plaything done nan Golden State to triumph backmost seats.

“There’s a batch of power retired there,” said Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, who leads nan Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, successful an question and reply from Omaha, Nebraska, a astonishing battleground, aft a plaything done New York. “We’re conscionable moving difficult to get retired nan vote.”

She said location are “tons of volunteers connected nan ground, tons of energy, group very, very focused. They understand there’s a batch astatine stake.”

With nan ever-escalating world of run fundraising, this predetermination twelvemonth stands apart: A whopping $2.5 cardinal is being spent to win nan Senate and almost $1 cardinal connected nan House.

The Senate is nan Republicans’ to lose, a coda to nan agelong stewardship of their statement leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. He recruited able Republican candidates, galore backed by Trump, to look disconnected against a half-dozen incumbent Democrats facing reliable reelections.

In Montana, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is successful 1 of nan astir competitory races successful nan state that could flip power to Republicans. But a half-dozen much Senate races including successful nan “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, are arsenic tight arsenic nan statesmanlike title successful those states.

But late-breaking shifts are injecting caller uncertainty successful different Senate races, putting Sen. Ted Cruz on defense successful Republican-heavy Texas wherever Democratic Rep. Colin Allred has seen a surge of energy, including from Harris’ star-studded rally successful Houston pinch hometown leader Beyoncé. Nebraska independent Dan Osborne has caught Republicans disconnected defender successful Nebraska arsenic he tries to unseat GOP Sen. Deb Fischer.

Oher Republican Senate candidates person stumbled.

In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno, who is facing Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, made comments captious of suburban women making abortion entree a privilege issue. Republican Tim Sheehy made derogatory remarks astir Native Americans, a cardinal voting bloc successful his title against Tester successful Montana.

As Republicans person outsourced their get-out-the-vote efforts to caller groups, including Elon Musk’s America PAC, nan run committees person had to guidelines up their ain to guarantee that group vote.

Davide Cuigini, portion of nan Young Republicans moving to move retired nan ballot for Moreno past play successful Ohio, said, “Republicans are yet early voting, truthful that’s gong to make a difference.”

Yet nan power connected nan Democratic broadside grew quickly erstwhile Harris replaced Biden connected nan Democratic summons complete nan summer..

Democrat Angela Alsobrooks successful Maryland, who could make history alongside Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester arsenic Black women successful nan Senate, hosted erstwhile President Barack Obama past week. Alsobrooks is moving against Larry Hogan, a celebrated erstwhile governor.

In nan House, Democrats person seen respective races displacement their way, according to nonpartisan analysts. But others, successful Alaska and an unfastened spot successful Michigan, tilt toward Republicans. Two of nan House’s longest serving lawmakers are successful nan fights of their governmental lives successful Ohio and California.

Still, a soul DCCC memo showed 21 of 25 contested seats still close, 1 week from nan election.

There are besides different battlegrounds, including what Nebraskans telephone nan “blue dot” astir Omaha, wherever Republican Rep. Don Bacon faces a situation from Democrat Tony Vargas.

The result of nan races will beryllium a trial of House activity nether Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. He said astatine a caller extremity adjacent Akron, Ohio, that pinch nan GOP’s “winsome warriors” arsenic candidates, he knows they will win.

Jeffries, successful statement to go House speaker if Democrats return control, said he has decided to " remain calm, " moreover if nan anticipation of unexpected events keeps him up astatine night.

If nan 2 chambers do successful truth flip statement control, arsenic is possible, it would beryllium rare.

Records show that if Democrats return nan House and Republicans return nan Senate, it would beryllium nan first clip that nan chambers of Congress person some flipped to opposing governmental parties.

“This predetermination is simply a very large deal,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, campaigning for a chap Democrat successful 1 of his state’'s House races.

__

Associated Press writers Lea Skene successful Baltimore and Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.