Midterm elections: Polls put Democrats in lead to take House as Trump defends 'racist' ad at Ohio rally

President Donald Trump attends rallies in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri on last day of campaigning

Barack Obama brands deployment of troops to border a 'political stunt'

Donald Trump was making his last plea to the American people on Monday, attending three rallies in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri just hours ahead of polls opening in crucial midterm elections.

With control of Congress at stake, former President Barack Obama was also out at an event in Fairfax, Virginia, to try and give the Democrats a boost.

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday with all 435 seats of the House of Representatives up for re-election as well as 35 Senate seats, hundreds of state legislature, local mayoral races, and special ballot provisions.

Republicans currently control both the houses of the US congress, although Mr Trump has warned about what a change would mean or his agenda.

“It's all fragile. Everything I told you about, it can be undone and changed by the Democrats if they get in,” Mr Trump told supporters in a conference call.

He has also admitted Republicans could lose control of the lower House, but has not shown anything but his characteristic bombastic confidence at his numerous political rallies.

Some of the key races are also the most expensive in what is the most expensive overall election in US history, clocking at $5bn plus in spending.

In Texas, Democrat Beto O'Rourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz face off for a US Senate seat. In Florida there are two races of note: Republican Governor Rick Scott vies for a US Senate seat against Democrat Bill Nelson and Democratic Mayor of Tallahassee Andrew Gillum looks to become the state's first African-American governor against Republican Ron DeSantis.

In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams looks to become the country's first African-American female governor as she runs against Republican Brian Kemp. Mr Kemp has been called to resign from his state government post of secretary of state since his office is tasked with monitoring elections, particularly should neither of them garner 50 per cent of the vote and a runoff occurs. Mr Kemp has been accused of voter suppression and is also investing Democrats over a possible cybersecurity vulnerability of the state's voter registration page they reported to his office.

Republican Mike DeWine was joined by the president in Ohio as he runs against a former director in Barack Obama's administration, Richard Cordray.

There are numerous tight House races across the Midwest as well. Democrats will need to pick up 24 more seats in order to "flip" control to them.

You can see how the events of the last day of campaigning before the midterms unfolded in our live blog below

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Key Points

• Donald Trump focuses his campaigning in Florida, a key state for him in 2020
• The White House and Republicans stick to US economy as a talking point
• Accusations of hacking and voter suppression plague Georgia's gubernatorial race
• In Ohio speech Trump calls on voters of 'every race, colour and creed' 
• Trump defends 'racist' ad even as Facebook and TV networks pull it down

[5 November 2018 18:24 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Every US election has its dramatic moments, particularly since Mr Trump's announcement in 2015 that he would be running for president. But, this may be the first time a candidate's own children have told voters not to put their father in office. 

“He’s made multiple comments that are racist and homophobic and how he doesn’t like the Jews,” Emily West says of her father Steve West, running as the Republican candidate the state assembly in Missouri. 

[5 November 2018 18:45 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Here's an overview of what these US midterm elections mean - in graphs! 

[5 November 2018 19:01 · Chris Stevenson]

A significant storm system is taking shape over the middle of the country and it could bring nasty weather to the Northeast, Midwest and South on Election Day.

An area of low pressure moving through the Midwest into the Great Lakes will spark strong storms, and it will bring severe weather to parts of the South on Monday night.

[5 November 2018 19:27 · Chris Stevenson]

Donald  Trump has raised the spectre of undocumented immigrants casting illegal ballots, claiming to have proof that some people attempt to do this, offering no examples

“All you have to do is go around, take a look at what’s happened over the years, and you’ll see,” Mr Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

“There are a lot of people, a lot of people in my opinion – and based on proof – that try and get in illegally and actually vote illegally,” he said. “We just want to let them know there will be prosecutions at the highest level.”

[5 November 2018 19:38 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

In 1992 an unprecedented number of women won seats in the US congress, prompting people to dub it the "Year of the Woman." 

It looks 2018 is shaping up to be another one. According to the National Institute on Money in Politics and the Center for American Women and Politics, 34 per cent of all candidates running this year are women. 

Women Step Up: Record Number of Women Candidates in 2018 Midterm Races - FollowTheMoney.org

[5 November 2018 19:55 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Mr Trump, perhaps in a bid to reassure wary voters he is in control of the administration, has announced there may be changes to his Cabinet after the midterms. 

He called the changes "very customary" and told journalists before he boarded Air Force One: "for the most part, I love my Cabinet."

Possibly on the chopping block: US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Mr Trump said his appointee has done a "very good job" despite numerous allegations of inappropriate spending and ethics violations. 

[5 November 2018 20:21 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

There's a new early voting record set for midterms in Georgia. 

According to the office of Secretary of State, who is currently Republican candidate for governor Brian Kemp, said early ballots have more than doubled since 2014. 

From our reporting on the ground, The Independent saw several voters express enthusiasm over Democrat Stacey Abrams' bid to make history as the first African-American female governor in the US. 

[5 November 2018 20:30 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Donald Trump is at a Cleveland, Ohio, rally to stump for Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine.

Mr Trump called the Democratic candidate Richard Cordray a "radical socialist...[and] not a good person". 

[5 November 2018 20:33 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Mr Trump railed on Mr Cordray, the former and first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for several minutes. 

The president said the Democrat was a "disciple of Democratic Senato Elizabeth Warren...who I can no longer call Pocahontas because she has no Indian blood!" 

Mr Trump has frequently used the name as a derogatory nickname for Ms Warren, who claimed she had some Native American heritage. 

The president claimed he cannot call her that anymore because "the press will say i'm misrepresenting...ok, I'll call her Pocahontas anyway. It's too good!" 

[5 November 2018 20:36 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

"Democrats are openly encouraging millions of illegals to violate our laws...they want to sign them up for the right to vote!...it's the right to vote they like the best," the president said about the migrant caravan still 1,000 miles away from the US-Mexico border.

There is only one way to stop this "lawless assault on our dignity, on our sovereignty, and our borders and that's to vote for Republican," Mr Trump shouted.