Podcast: A deep look at the most anticipated US midterms in living memory

On 6 November, Americans head to the polls for the first time since President Trump's election in 2016.

At stake are a wide range of offices at all levels of government including:

• All 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 members of the Senate
• 36 of 50 governorships and all or part of 87 of the country's 99 legislative state houses
• Countless county and city level offices including the mayoralties of Washington D.C., San Francisco, Phoenix and Nashville.

The biggest prize up for grabs is control of the two houses of Congress. The Republican Party currently controls both of them, with a modest 235 to 193 majority in the House and a razor-thin margin of 51-49 in the Senate.

A change of control to the Democrats of either house would lead to a fundamental shift in the balance of power in Washington and make the second half of President Trump's term very different from the first.

Discussing the historical context and key driving forces of the upcoming US midterm elections are University of Melbourne PhD candidate & Yale Fellow Emma Shortis in conversation with Election Watch's Deputy Editor and regular American politics analyst, James Cahill.

Banner image: United States Capitol Building  Source: Getty Images

The University of Melbourne & Election Watch are co-hosting a US midterms event with the American Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday 17 October at University House. Click here for more details.