After a fierce and drawn-out struggle between Republicans and Democrats during this midterm season, Americans headed to the polls to decide who will take control of Congress.

Republicans currently control both houses, with a narrow 218–214 majority in the House of Representatives and a 53–47 majority in the Senate.

With polls favoring Democrats in the House and an unpredictable Senate outcome, experts viewed this election as an uphill battle for Republicans to retain control of either chamber of Congress.

Senate battles in Michigan, Maine, Texas, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, and Alaska will likely decide who takes the reins in the upper chamber.

But in many of those states, voters on the ground were concerned with more than just politics, and they said they were casting their votes over concerns about the economy, foreign policy, and other kitchen table issues.

Immigration and Foreign Policy

Foreign policy is knocking at the back door in Texas, where in addition to issues such as the war in Iran, some Americans see immigration enforcement as their key driver.

J.Z. Rojas, 20, came out to vote for Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a toss-up election for U.S. Senate.

“My Hispanic people mean a lot to me. I think it’s wrong to deport people. A lot of people are mad,” Rojas, a Dallas-area resident, told The Epoch Times.

In Arizona, another border state, the conflict in Iran is a topic of concern to Chandler residents Vincent and Rebekah, who declined to share their last names.

“Everything is just out of control,” Vincent told The Epoch Times. “Things just need to be reviewed and pulled back in.”

In Nebraska, self-proclaimed liberal Alan Hendricks said he was voting Democratic partially because of the party’s position on the war in Iran.

“I don’t like the way the country’s being run right now, that’s for sure,” he told The Epoch Times.

Economy and Socialism

Ahead of the midterms, rural Americans said they felt the squeeze of economic changes.

In Columbus, Ohio, Michael and Samantha Harvey said they consider voting their civic duty, but that the cost of living is a big issue for them: “Gas prices, food prices, cost of living, all that.”

Michael Harvey, 57, and his wife, Samantha Harvey, 46, who live in Franklin County’s Franklin Township near Columbus, Ohio, discuss casting their ballots at their polling place, Franklin Woods Intermediate School, on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times)

“We gotta make sure that we get people in there that are taking care of the people, not just theirself [sic],” Michael said.

In Arizona, Republican Steven Wilcox said he’s not sure who will win big in his state, but said, “I certainly don’t want to see any of the wealth taxes passed in this country because that’s just not the right direction.”

Similarly, fellow Arizonan William Hurt said he is concerned about the country leaning too far to the left.

“There are so many socialists,” he said after casting his ballot in Rio Verde, Arizona.

Steven Wilcox, a Republican voter outside a polling place in Rio Verde, Ariz., on Nov. 3, 2026. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

In Macon, Georgia, Craig Hall said he came out to vote because of concern about a growing socialist movement in the Democratic Party.

“Our way of life in America right now—it’s changing,” Hall said. “It’s getting too late already, but we need to change the way we’re doing things, and the only way to do that is vote people out of the race.”

Vincent and Rebekah, from Arizona, said they voted Democratic because of the rising cost of living, including groceries and other food items.

“I went to the grocery store to buy blueberries. Blueberries were $7.99 a carton,” Vincent said. “They used to be $1.99.”

Rebekah said, “Yesterday, we saw that commercial for McDonald’s with the $8 hamburger.”

It was by no means a Happy Meal, she joked.

Trump Not on Ballot, but in Spotlight

Father and daughter Leo and Jeanine Olmstead, residents of Omaha, Nebraska, said they’re happy with the Trump administration.

Jeanine said that she has previously voted on individual issues, but that the Democratic Party has gotten too extreme.

Leo, who said he is in his 90s, voted red for three reasons: “Stop fraud, stop socialism, and stop communism,” he told The Epoch Times.

Wilcox in Arizona felt that President Donald Trump could be a hindrance to Republicans heading into his last two years in office.

Although Republicans have rallied behind the president and many of his policies and legislative priorities, “he’s just so polarizing,” Wilcox said.

“He has turned a lot of people off,” he said. “And it’s his own fault if he loses this midterm.”

In Omaha, Willie Fant, a dedicated Democrat, said he thinks that Trump administration policies have created the problems Americans face today, including everything from tariffs to the Iran war and immigration.

“All the issues that the Republican Congress and the Republican Senate [have] not accomplished,” Fant told The Epoch Times.

Willie Fant voted for the straight Democratic ticket for the 2026 midterm elections. Fant voted by mail and is shown waiting for his daughter outside a polling place on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

Maine voters are ready for change.

Donna Sellers told The Epoch Times that she’s not happy with embattled Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and wants to get rid of Trump.

“He reminds me of my ex-husband, and I just wish I could divorce him,” Sellers said of Trump.

Donna Sellers after voting in Waterville, Maine, on Nov. 3, 2026. (Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times)

Concord, New Hampshire, voter Jo Ann Raymond described herself as a proud Democrat who supports Senate candidate Chris Pappas and said she wants Trump’s agenda stopped.

Raymond criticized the current president and said she hopes Democrats use any newfound power to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Belief in Participation

In Warner Robins, Georgia, Makayla Yansom called herself a “purple voter.” She voted for the Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican governor candidate Rick Jackson.

“Just showing up to vote will help in any direction,” Yansom said. “Not voting hurts you.”

Makayla Yansom described herself as a “purple voter.” In Georgia’s election, she cast her ballot for the Democratic incumbent senator and the Republican contender for governor, she said outside of a precinct in Warner Robins, Ga., on Nov. 3, 2026. (Troy Myers/The Epoch Times)

In Concord, New Hampshire, four Turning Point USA chapter representatives called out, “Your vote matters!” to people heading toward a polling station.

The students, Kira Becker, Cade, Julius, and Connor, all minors, had different opinions about party affiliation, whether they agreed with their parents’ political values, and what the most important issues were for voters in New Hampshire.

They told The Epoch Times that they agreed on one thing: People should be involved in politics, and politicians should be judged on their actions, not their words.

Reginald Davis, who had come to vote with his father in Elko, Georgia, said the latter’s teachings are what brought him to the polls on Election Day.

Reginald Davis (R) and his father are Georgia natives. They cast their ballots at a precinct in Elko, Ga., on Nov. 3, 2026. (Troy Myers/The Epoch Times)

“When we were young, that stuff was just instilled in us, meaning to vote,” Davis said. “You weigh your options and pick the best candidate that you think will do what needs to get done.”

Despite being disappointed with the state of politics, Davis said he believes in getting out to vote.

“To be honest with you, none of them are really gonna do what they say they’re gonna do,” he said.

As father and son walked to their truck on their way to breakfast, Davis had a parting thought: “Participating in an election is better than not voting at all.”