US midterms: Hugh Linehan’s guide to watching the results

Voting is underway in the United States’ midterm elections, the results of which will decide which party controls Congress, and whether US president Donald Trump can advance his agenda for the remaining two years of his presidency.

Democrats are expected to flip the House of Representatives but the Senate race is much tighter.

Host of the Inside Politics podcast Hugh Linehan explains the outcome is likely to hinge on eight seats: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas.

Some of these haven’t elected a statewide Democratic senator in decades. In the case of Kansas, it hasn’t returned one since 1932.

But with voting booths closing from around 11pm Irish time, the results probably won’t be known until Wednesday morning.

Linehan outlines what the polls have been saying, what the biggest dramas of the campaigns have been and when we might expect the first tallies.

You can listen to the conversation on the player above or search for In the News wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Produced by Declan Conlon.