A bitterly divided America went to the polls on Tuesday for a high-stakes midterm election seen as a referendum on the first two years of the mercurial presidency of Donald Trump. Supporters of Harley Rouda, a Democratic candidate for the House in California's 48th District, hold signs and cheer at a get-out-the-vote rally in Laguna Beach, California on Election Day With control of Congress and Trump's agenda at stake, early voting hit record levels and turnout appeared high across the country. All eyes are on the several dozen razor-thin races that will decide if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and Senate or if one or both chambers flip Democratic. All 435 seats in the House, 35 seats in the 100-member Senate and 36 governorships are up for grabs as Americans cast their ballots. Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to win the House for the first time since the Tea Party wave of 2010, and the latest polls give them a good chance to do so. "I … [Read more...] about Election Day test for Trump as America votes
Election day where to vote
US networks drop ‘racist’ Trump ad as critical elections near
Tuesday’s elections, widely seen as a referendum on Trump, have been portrayed by both Republicans and Democrats as critical for the direction of the country. At stake is control of both chambers of Congress, and with it the ability to block or promote Trump’s agenda, as well as 36 governor’s offices. A surge in early voting, fueled by a focus on Trump’s pugilistic, norms-breaking presidency by supporters of both parties, could signal the highest turnout in 50 years for a midterm U.S. election, when the White House is not on the line. The 30-second ad, which was sponsored by Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign and which debuted online last week, featured courtroom video of an illegal immigrant from Mexico convicted in the 2014 killings of two police officers, juxtaposed with scenes of migrants headed through Mexico. Critics, including members of Trump’s own party, had condemned the spot as racially divisive. CNN had refused to run the ad, saying it was … [Read more...] about US networks drop ‘racist’ Trump ad as critical elections near
Romney, Santorum battle in knife-edge Ohio vote
White House hopeful Mitt Romney was Tuesday locked in a nail-biting battle with Rick Santorum in Ohio as he looked to tighten his grasp on the Republican presidential nomination. Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum speaks during the election night rally in Steubenville, Ohio. (AFP Photo/Joe Raedle) The former governor won four of the 10 races up for grabs in the Super Tuesday contests, scoring a landslide in his home state of Massachusetts where he took 72 percent of the vote, according to CNN exit polls. He also scooped wins in Virginia, Idaho and Vermont, television networks predicted, as the battle heated up to become the Republican standard-bearer to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in the November elections. Santorum, once the rank outsider in the contest, was snapping at Romney's heels winning southern Tennessee and Oklahoma, as well as North Dakota. In the latter race, he even beat Romney into third place. A battle royale was under way in … [Read more...] about Romney, Santorum battle in knife-edge Ohio vote
Test for PM as England votes in local elections
Viet Nam News LONDON — Ballots were being counted Friday from local elections in England seen as the first key electoral test for Prime Minster Theresa May since she lost her parliamentary majority last year. Polls closed at 10pm (2100 GMT) on Thursday to elect local councilors and early results were due to be announced overnight, but a clear overall picture is not expected until later Friday morning. May’s Conservative party is braced for defeats in London, where all 32 local councils are up for grabs, and which is a traditional stronghold of the opposition Labour party. But the elections took place across England, including in cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, with a total of more than 4,300 seats being contested. In London, where last year’s Grenfell Tower fire disaster in which 71 people were killed is still a fresh memory, some residents said they were using the vote as a proxy poll on Conservative leaders on both local and national levels. … [Read more...] about Test for PM as England votes in local elections
Islamic party aims to hold the key in Malaysia’s election
The outcome of next month’s election in Malaysia may hinge on the performance of a party that has strived for decades to turn the country into an Islamic state and enforce harsher penalties on Muslims for adultery, theft and drinking alcohol. Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) is hopeful that it can win 40 of parliament’s 222 seats, enough to place it in the position of kingmaker. With the balance of power, it would be able to make policy demands as its price for supporting either Prime Minister Najib Razak, or the opposition alliance trying to oust him. Even if PAS falls short of its ambitions, it is still likely to play a decisive role by dividing the opposition vote, handing a massive advantage to Najib’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. If PAS does hold sway over the next government, some political analysts say it could stoke divisions in multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority Malaysia. The government could come under pressure to further entrench affirmative-action policies … [Read more...] about Islamic party aims to hold the key in Malaysia’s election