Democrats and Republicans take the last step while the campaigns are disputed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US political campaigns were bitter on Monday as candidates scoured the country for votes in dozens of crucial races revealing that opinion polls were still very tight.

The control of both US congressional chambers and the governor's 36 offices is to be taken Tuesday in an election widely considered a referendum on the first two years of the presidency of Republican President Donald Trump.

In the final stretch, Trump intensified his uncompromising rhetoric about immigration and cultural issues, including warnings about a caravan of migrants heading to the Mexican border and "liberal" crowds, and touted a US-based economy. which he believes would be threatened by the Democrats.

He amplified this message with an announcement linking Democrats and immigrants to violent crime, aired Sunday night on NBC. Even Republican compatriots had criticized this place for its racial division during its first online appearance last week.

NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp, announced Monday that it would run no more than 30 seconds. CNN had previously refused to run the "racist" caller.

"After further review, we recognized the insensitive nature of the announcement and decided to stop broadcasting it in our properties as soon as possible," said a spokesman for the network in an email.

Trump planned to spend a final day in the election campaign on Monday, hitting the states of Ohio, Indiana and Missouri, the Midwestern US, at the end of a pre-election sweep of six days focused primarily on US senatorial competitions.

"Everything is fragile. All I told you, it can be canceled and changed by the Democrats if they succeed, "Trump told his supporters during a conference call Monday to get the vote out.

Opinion polls and election forecasters are in favor of Democrats getting the minimum of 23 seats they need on Tuesday to win a majority in the US House of Representatives, which would allow them to thwart Trump's legislative agenda and to investigate his administration.

But Republicans are more likely to retain their slight majority in the US Senate, which currently holds two seats, which would allow them to retain the power to approve the US Supreme Court and other judicial appointments as a result. a vote to the right of the party.

But at least 75 of the 435 races in the House remain competitive, forecasters said, and Senate control is expected to drop to half a dozen tight competitions in Arizona, Nevada, Missouri, North Dakota, Indiana and Florida.

Democrats are also threatening to take over the governor's offices in key states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania, a potential aid for the party in those states during the 2020 presidential race.

Trump, who frequently warns of voter fraud and said without proof that millions of fraudulent votes had been cast in 2016, said Monday on Twitter that law enforcement should monitor "illegal votes".

Former Democratic President Barack Obama donated donuts to campaign volunteers in a House district, Virginia, where Democrat Jennifer Wexton, Senator, faces Republican actress Barbara Comstock in a race to compete fierce.

Obama said the country's personality and commitment to decency and equality were on the ballot Tuesday.

"All over the country, what I see is a great awakening," he said. "People woke up and said," Oh, we can not take that for granted. We must fight for this. "

Trump's polarizing style garnered record participation, inspiring both sides as voters voted to vote against the president.

About 40 million advance votes – including mail-in ballots and in-person votes – by mail will likely be obtained on polling day, according to Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida, who tracks the numbers. In the last congressional elections in 2014, there were 27.5 million advance votes.

The numbers suggest that the turnout will be very high for a non-presidential election, McDonald wrote on his US website. He estimated that the participation rate would reach 45%. it would be the highest for a mid-term election in 50 years.

For any Reuters coverage, see: here