US midterm polls: Trump admits Republicans could lose the House as current predictions say Democrats will win

The election is just four days away

Trump releases one of most racist political adverts for decades on eve of election

Donald Trump has said Republicans could lose control of the US House as the 2018 midterm elections are just four days away.

At a "Make America Great Again" political rally in Iowa the president said: "It could happen. Could happen. And you know what you do? My whole life, you know what I say? 'Don't worry about it, I'll just figure it out.' Does that make sense? I'll figure it out."

It was an uncharacteristic lack of confidence from the usually bombastic leader but experts have predicted Democrats could win the 24 seats it needs to gain control of the lower house of Congress for the first time since 2010.

The polling data shows, however, the Senate will still likely be controlled by conservatives.

This year's election will break all manner of records in terms of spending as well. According to the Centre for Responsive Politics, approximately $5.2bn will be spent in this year's midterms.

In one race alone $93m has been spent to get the Senate seat from Texas. Democrat and current US House Democrat Beto O'Rourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz have been trading barbs as poll numbers show a tight race.

In Georgia, Democratic governor candidate Stacey Abrams looks to make history as the first female African-American governor in the country's history. Controversy abounds as opponent Republican Brian Kemp is also the Georgia secretary of state who would be in charge of a possible runoff election should neither candidate receives 50 per cent of the vote.

Barack Obama and Oprah have joined Ms Abrams on the campaign trail and former president Jimmy Carter has even asked Mr Kemp to resign from his current position in light of his candidacy.

In Florida, Andrew Gillum, the current Democratic Mayor of Tallahassee, squares off with Republican Ron DeSantis in an important race for the president as he begins campaigning for his 2020 re-election bid.

Amid the debates on healthcare policy and taxes, a migrant caravan of approximately 7,000 people still 1,000 miles away from the US-Mexico border has been in the headlines on the campaign trail.

Mr Trump a video he tweeted showing a Mexican migrant smiling and boasting about killing police officers is “tough but correct”.

The US president shared the video ahead of the midterm elections on 6 November.

Both Democrats and Republicans have denounced the video as a racist campaign tactic.

To see how the day unfolded follow our coverage below

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Key Points

• Here are 7 things to look out for in the 2018 midterms
• A migrant caravan has become a contentious point on the campaign trail 
• Democrats appear to be confident about regaining control of the US House

[2 November 2018 14:02 · Chris Stevenson]

Many wealthy politicians occupy governor's offices and congressional seats, making it notable that Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds made an issue of Democratic candidate Fred Hubbell's inherited wealth. 

GOP officials have called Hubbell "Prince Frederick," and Reynolds says it's a fair question whether Hubbell can relate to working Iowans. 

Hubbell says Reynolds has targeted his wealth because she doesn't have a strong record to run on. 

At least 11 current US governors have millions in personal wealth. In Nebraska, a Democratic challenger, Bob Krist, has made wealth an issue, calling billionaire Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts "Wall Street Pete." 

[2 November 2018 14:13 · Chris Stevenson]

As for the migrant caravan heading for the US border - the source of much of the president's ire in recent days - is back on the move.

The group estimated to number some 4,000 is now heading for the town of Donaji near the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. 

After sleeping under tin sheeting to cover himself from the rain, Saul Guzman still had hope. 

"I've been through a lot," said the 48-year-old traveling with his son. "I want to spend my time differently, not in poverty." 

[2 November 2018 14:25 · Chris Stevenson]

A second, smaller group of 1,000 or so refugees and migrants is more than 200 miles behind the first caravan. A third band of about 500 from El Salvador has made it to Guatemala, and a fourth group of about 700 has set out from the Salvadoran capital.

[2 November 2018 14:38 · Chris Stevenson]

Back to the midterms:

Former President Barack Obama is out on the road to support Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in Miami on Friday afternoon, at a rally also featuring incumbent Senator Bill Nelson, before heading a few hours north to Atlanta to meet up with former state House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams. 

[2 November 2018 14:55 · Chris Stevenson]

At a cybersecurity event on Friday morning, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said that the department has seen "continued attempts" to access election-related systems.

The attempts were all “quickly prevented or mitigated," she said, and the few that did succeed to gain access have not been attributed to a foreign country. 

[2 November 2018 15:21 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

With just four days to the election and stories on voter suppression efforts by some states, some voters may be concerned about being turned away at their polling places. 

Here are five things to do to avoid that: 

[2 November 2018 15:47 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

In a new poll, the Daily Beast asked voters what the incoming Congress' highest priority should be. 

More than a third of Democrats said the new Congress' focus should be to “investigate and potentially impeach" Donald Trump. 

Still, The Independent has found through field reporting healthcare and education remain at the top of voters' priorities in state elections. It remains to be seen if any of it is enough for Democrats to gain the 24 seats in the US House to "flip" power over to them, which they have not had since 2010. 

[2 November 2018 16:11 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

A migrant caravan of approximately 7,000 people has been slowly travelling from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador and through Mexico to eventually reach the southern US border. Many are fleeing gang violence and poverty. 

It has become a major talking point for Republicans on the campaign trail, particularly Mr Trump and those in border states. They have been accusing Democrats of allowing in "illegals" and "criminals" and Democrats have accused the other side of xenophobia and an unwillingness to compromise on immigration reform. 

Republican Senator Ted Cruz, running against Democratic upstart Beto O'Rourke for the US Senate, appeared to blame his opponent for using campaign contributions to fund the caravan - a claim that is unsupported by any evidence. 

[2 November 2018 16:38 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Here's the speech everyone has been discussing from this week - Oprah Winfrey joined Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams on the campaign trail in Marietta, Georgia. 

[2 November 2018 17:19 · Mythili Sampathkumar]

Some of the most expensive races in the history of US politics are taking place this year. 

In Texas, Democrat Beto O'Rourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz have spent a combined $93m to get a US Senate seat. 

Overall, the Center for Responsive Politics has predicted more than $5 billion will spent on this election. No other midterms election surpassed $4.2 billion, when adjusted for inflation. 

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