Midterm Elections Are One Week Away — Here's Where Democrats and Republicans Currently Stand

Scott Olson/Getty Barack Obama riles up Wisconsin voters alongside Democratic candidates Tony Evers and Mandela Barnes

After two years of campaigns, another United States election cycle is nearing its finish — the first since 2020's messy general election, which sent America down a path of heightened polarization and led to an attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol.

In the final days of the consequential 2022 midterms season, Democrats and Republicans are pulling out all the stops to increase their chances of securing victories and gaining control of how policies surrounding reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ expression, education and economy are shaped at the local, state and federal levels.

With dozens of Senate, House and gubernatorial races categorized as toss-ups, there's a lot at stake. Here's where things stand seven days before midterms candidates' fates are sealed.

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Win McNamee/Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy

Republicans are expected to take the House

Election forecasting site FiveThirtyEight predicts that Republicans will regain control of the House of Representatives in the midterms, putting their chances at 83%. Democrats have held the majority of seats since 2019, when voters responded to then-President Donald Trump's low approval ratings by electing a wave of new Democratic politicians.

If Democrats lose control of Congress' lower chamber, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lose her post as the third most powerful U.S. politician, behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Republican representatives will then elect a member of their party to take her place. The current GOP House leader is California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who would be an obvious frontrunner for the promotion, and his spokesperson tells PEOPLE he plans to throw his hat into the ring.

The speaker, in partnership with the House majority leader, is tasked with deciding what bills move to the floor for a vote, giving them control over which legislation is prioritized. Recently, House Republicans introduced a federal replica of Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill, which could get more attention next year in a GOP-dominated House.

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Getty Images Sen. Chuck Schumer

Democrats have a chance at keeping the Senate

According to the latest predictions, Democrats have a chance of maintaining control of Senate. Heading into the midterms, there seemed no hope for Democrats to keep their 50 seats after only two years at the helm — then the tides changed, at one point showing them with a 71% chance of maintaining control. Now, as Republicans see a resurgence in polls just ahead of Election Day, chances appear to be waning again, with FiveThirtyEight putting Republicans and Democrats in a dead heat over who will come out of Nov. 8 victorious.

Currently, Vice President Harris breaks the tie in the evenly divided Senate, giving Democrats a technical majority despite its 50-50 split. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is currently in charge of the Senate's agenda, a job that could be handed over to a Republican if he loses.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would likely become the pick to continue leading his party if the GOP regains control of the upper chamber, but some further-right politicians may lobby for someone more in line with Trump's extremist values to take the reins.

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Drew Angerer/Getty JD Vance and Donald Trump shake hands at a rally

Obama and Trump are in high demand

With such tight races this year, both major parties are looking for star-power to help swing things in their favor. This week, former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump are traversing the nation to appear at rallies with their parties' respective candidates and fire up voters to show up to the polls en masse.

Trump has been on the campaign trail since day one, but Obama is a relatively new addition to in-person appearances. As President Biden's favorability ratings waver, the ever-popular 44th president has been tasked with being the voice of the Democratic Party. Already, he's made waves, calling out Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson in a viral moment of passion and urging Wisconsinites to unseat him in favor of the state's Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

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In the coming days, Obama will continue his tour, visiting battleground states Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania in hopes of giving them the final boost needed to defend their at-risk Senate seats.

In the next seven days, all Americans can do is vote — of course — and wait to see how things shake out.

Check your voter registration, locate your polling place, and make a voting plan at Vote.org to ensure that your voice is heard this election season.