When are the midterm elections?

The 2022 midterm elections are scheduled to take place on Tuesday 8 November.

All of the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives will be up for reelection, along with 34 out of 100 seats in the US Senate.

In the states and territories, 39 governors’ races will be decided, in addition to a number of various state and local elections.

The elections will decide the makeup of the 118th Congress and it’s the first time that voters cast their ballots following redistricting based on the 2020 census.

A number of Democratic campaigns have been reported to have attempted to boost far-right candidates in GOP primaries as they think it’ll make it easier to win in November in states where many voters feel at home in the centre ground, as The New York Times noted in June.

Former President Donald Trump has been fairly successful with his endorsements in Republican primaries, with most of his chosen candidates winning their nominations.

But as The Times noted in August, many of the more than 200 candidates Mr Trump has endorsed have campaigned without a serious opponent or fully unopposed.

On the Democratic side of the aisle, more moderate candidates won several high-profile races but progressives remain optimistic about their chances of shifting the party leftward, The Guardian reported in August.

Some of the main issues in the midterms include abortion, the economy, guns, Russia’s war in Ukraine, student loan forgiveness and the job performance of President Joe Biden.

Following the overturning of Roe v Wade on 24 June by the US Supreme Court, Democrats have been campaigning on supporting women’s reproductive rights while Republicans have been attempting to ignore the issue, as noted by Politico, believing it could be a losing issue at the polls.

A number of recent mass shootings have made gun control more important for Democrats, prompting the passing of the first major gun legislation in decades.

While Republicans have been campaigning on the economy, high gas prices and inflation, a stabilising economic landscape has made a Republican rout less likely, according to The Washington Post.

Bipartisan researchers Joel Benenson and Neil Newhouse have written that the 2022 midterms “will hinge on which party is able to show they are taking meaningful action to stabilize the economy, lower inflation costs (housing, gas, and food), reduce gun violence and protect a woman’s right to choose”.

While Republicans have been boosted by Mr Biden’s measly approval ratings, the president’s outlook has brightened in recent months following multiple legislative wins.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has increased support for Mr Biden as former President Donald Trump was seen by many as being too supportive of Vladimir Putin and Russia.

Both parties are trying to capitalise on Mr Biden’s new policy of student loan forgiveness, as the GOP look to increase their support among blue-collar workers and Democrats hoping to get younger voters to the polls.

According to FiveThirtyEight, the Democrats are slightly favoured to win the Senate, winning 64 out of 100 simulated elections while the Republicans win 36 out of 100 simulations.

The GOP is favoured to take the House, winning 71 simulations compared to 29 for the Democrats.