Terri Givens: How Worried Should We Be About the U.S. Midterms?

Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PDT

ArtSpring

Published by The Salt Spring Forum

TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE As Canadians, we’re used to ‘sleeping with an elephant’—as Pierre Trudeau quipped in 1969. ‘No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast... one is affected by every twitch and grunt’. Sadly, Canadian-US relations have not been ‘friendly and even-tempered’ in the past two years and now the U.S. mid-term elections are upon us. On November 3, all 435 districts in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress, holding a 53–45 majority in the Senate and a 218-212 majority in the House. There’s a lot at stake for President Donald Trump and the results could also have significant effects in Canada. A shift in control of Congress could help curtail presidential executive powers and reshape trade relations. But will the 2026 elections be free and fair? According to The Atlantic, the 2026 mid-term elections face severe threats. Analysts warn that Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to subvert the vote, using tactics like extreme gerrymandering and voter roll challenges, and attempting to influence election administration and vote certification. How worried should we be? Terri Givens is a best-selling author and Professor of Political Science at University of British Columbia. Born, raised and educated in the United States, she is well positioned to respond to your questions and concerns about the U.S. midterms. Dr. Givens’ research and teaching