Balance of power rests with a few seats

Americans go to the polls for Senate, House of Representatives and governorship races

Americans yesterday in mid-term elections that could bring a change of control in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, see a dozen new faces in governor's mansions across the country and shape the 2004 election prospects of President Bush.

The contest was fiercest in the Senate where the Democrats defended a 50-49 edge and – astonishingly at this stage of the campaign – no less than 10 of the 34 contests were considered too close to call.

Democrats were fighting to cling to seats in South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Georgia and Iowa. Republicans were under pressure in Arkansas, Colorado, New Hampshire, North Carolina and even President Bush's Texas. A tilt in any one could change the balance of power in Washington.

Last night, after a week of hectic campaigning and months of unprecedented presidential activism on behalf of Republican candidates, Mr Bush was back in Washington to watch the results at the White House. But a long night indeed was in prospect, with no guarantee that even this morning the final make-up of the 108th Congress would be clear.

Both major parties prepared for legal challenges in the case of especially close results. Republicans were on the watch for fraud, while Democrats were especially concerned about possible voter intimidation.

But the key factor was turnout, which in mid-term elections, where the White House is not at stake, rarely exceeds 35 per cent. "I hope people vote," the President declared after voting at a polling station near his ranch in central Texas. Like every pundit in the land, the President was guarded about the outcome. Asked how Republicans would do, he flashed a thumbs-up and then turned it horizontal.

Every close race turned on the ability of the two major parties to get out their core vote. In Florida, Bill McBride's hopes of unseating Governor Jeb Bush, the President's brother, hinged on blacks, Jewish voters and other minorities turning out in sufficient numbers to avenge Al Gore's hair's-breadth defeat in the 2000 presidential election in the state.

In Maryland, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's hopes of upholding the Kennedy family honour in her bid for the governorship depended on getting black voters in suburban Washington to the polls. The story was the same in the nailbitingly close Senate races.

Whatever happened, a long night loomed. In Minnesota, where Walter Mondale, the former Vice-President, was a late entry, votes were being hand-counted. And with Florida fresh in their memory, the major networks were wary of exit polls. Since 2000 exit poll mechanics have been refined, but last night was their first serious test.

The mid-term elections marked the de facto kick-off for the race for the White House. By the end of the year, potential Democratic contenders – including Mr Gore, his running mate Senator Joe Lieberman and at least three other Democratic senators – will declare their intentions.

Mr Bush has also staked huge prestige on last night's outcome. Republican gains would vindicate his frenzied campaigning, during which he raised a record $150m for his party. Defeat, especially for his brother, would put a large dent in his hopes of winning a second term.