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Voters take part in voting procedures at the Medina County Board of Elections in Medina, Ohio, on the 6th (local time), as early voting begins for the U.S. midterm elections. / Reuters, Yonhap

As early voting for the U.S. midterm elections on the 3rd of next month kicked off in major areas on the 6th (local time), the race between the ruling and opposition parties for control of the federal Senate and House of Representatives is heating up.

With a key focus on whether the Democrats can retake the Republican-controlled House and Senate, U.S. President Donald Trump for the Republicans and former President Barack Obama for the Democrats are hitting the campaign trail in battleground states to make a final push for votes.

According to USA Today and other outlets, in-person early voting began on this day in states including Ohio, Indiana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. California, Montana, and Nebraska started early voting the day before.

Early voting is being conducted across 47 states and Washington, D.C., excluding Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire, with schedules varying by jurisdiction.

Beginning on the 18th of last month in four states—Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia—early voting will roll out through the 29th of this month in Kentucky. Some regions allow or mandate early voting to continue through Election Day itself.

The focal point of the upcoming election, which will decide all 435 seats in the federal House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats, lies in whether Democrats can reclaim the Senate and House majorities currently held by the ruling Republican Party.

In the House, excluding two vacancies, the majority Republicans hold 218 seats, Democrats 214, and a Republican-leaning independent one seat, lending weight to the possibility that the Democrats could take the majority in this election.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report projected 205 of the 435 seats leaning Republican and 208 leaning Democratic, categorizing the remaining 22 seats as toss-ups.

Control of the Senate could also flip. Republicans hold the majority with 53 seats, while Democrats hold 45 seats and Democratic-aligned independents hold two; if Democrats flip four or more seats in this election, they will capture the majority.

Seven states—Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas—are cited as key Senate battlegrounds.

With battlegrounds expanding, U.S. President Donald Trump, along with both the Republican and Democratic parties, is mounting an all-out push to drive supporters to the polls.

President Trump recently took to social media to urge voting, expressing confidence in a Republican victory.

On the 3rd, he stressed on Truth Social, "Republicans must win the midterms, and we must use every proper tool available," adding, "Whether through early voting, absentee voting, mail-in voting, or in-person voting, we must overwhelm the radical left Democrats through massive turnout."

For the Democrats, former U.S. President Barack Obama is adding momentum with last-minute campaign support, hitting the trail in core battlegrounds.

According to the Associated Press, former President Obama is scheduled to attend a rally in Detroit, Michigan, on the 24th of this month to support Democratic candidates, including Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

He recently filmed roughly 20 advertisements for Democratic gubernatorial and Senate candidates, which are set to be released in the coming days and weeks.

The Washington Post (WP) analyzed that former President Obama, who has been selective in his midterm campaign activities, stepping directly into the Michigan race highlights the political significance of the state.

                                                                                                             Kim Hyun-min