US midterm elections 2022: poll closes in 2 dozen states; Republicans look to win back power in Congress

Energized Republicans are eager to claw back power in Congress, working to break the Democrats' one-party hold in Washington and putting the future of President Joe Biden's agenda at stake this Election Day.

With the narrowly held House and an evenly split Senate, Democrats could easily see their fragile grasp on power slip as they face a new generation of Republican candidates. Among them are political newcomers to public office, including skeptics, deniers of the 2020 election and some extremists inspired by Donald Trump. They could bring a new intensity to Capitol Hill with promises to end Biden's once-lofty ideas and launch investigations and oversight — even, potentially, impeachment of Biden.

Tuesday brings the first major national elections since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and emotions are raw. The violent assault on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband has stunned many, and federal law enforcement warned of heightened threats nationwide. Biden's party is laboring to hold on by the most tenuous of margins.

Also Watch| US midterm elections: All you need to know

All 435 seats in the House and one-third of the Senate are being decided. If Republican newcomers help the party seize control of the House, and possibly the Senate, the outcome will pose new challenges for Congress' ability to govern.

“I do think that this will end up being a period of government that is defined by conflict,” said Brendan Buck, a former top aide to the past two Republican speakers of the House.

Divided government has historically offered the possibility of bipartisan deal-making, but the Republican candidates are campaigning instead on a platform to stop Democrats.

Without a unified agenda of their own, the Republicans are running toward crises and confrontations as they promise to cut federal spending, refuse to raise the nation's debt limit and balk at supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia. It all points to potential gridlock ahead.

"They're going to make very clear that there's a new sheriff in town,” Buck said.