WASHINGTON: At 6 a.m. Eastern Time (1100 GMT) on Tuesday, Election Day, polling places in several eastern U.S. states, including Maine, New York and Virginia, were among the first to open.

Amid persistently high inflation and rising living costs, this year's midterm elections are shaping up to be a major test for the Trump administration in its second term.

Republicans and Democrats are competing for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Voters will also elect governors in 36 states, along with state legislators and other local officials in various states.

The Senate race, however, remains more competitive and uncertain, with seven states -- Maine, Texas, Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and Alaska -- emerging as particularly competitive battlegrounds. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to secure a 51-seat majority in the Senate.