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The mid-term elections in the US are one week away. Unlike the presidential vote, with one clear winner, these polls are a bit more complicated. So what are the key points to remember?
1. It's all about the Senate
It is very unlikely that the House of Representatives, the lower house which has a Republican majority, will be won by the Democrats. "With a few historical exceptions the party in the White House loses support during mid-terms," says Shaun Bowler, political scientist at the University of California, Riverside.
The party of the president has only gained ground in three out of 38 mid-term elections and with President Barack Obama's approval ratings pretty low, there's nothing to suggest this election will buck the trend.
So all the attention is on the Senate, where Republicans need to win just six seats to gain control. This would mean the president would have lost control of both houses since he came to office - handing the Republicans more legislative powers, but retaining his power of veto over bills.
Source: US mid-terms Five things to know - eReporter
1. It's all about the Senate
It is very unlikely that the House of Representatives, the lower house which has a Republican majority, will be won by the Democrats. "With a few historical exceptions the party in the White House loses support during mid-terms," says Shaun Bowler, political scientist at the University of California, Riverside.
The party of the president has only gained ground in three out of 38 mid-term elections and with President Barack Obama's approval ratings pretty low, there's nothing to suggest this election will buck the trend.
So all the attention is on the Senate, where Republicans need to win just six seats to gain control. This would mean the president would have lost control of both houses since he came to office - handing the Republicans more legislative powers, but retaining his power of veto over bills.
Source: US mid-terms Five things to know - eReporter
