America votes: What might a Republican midterm victory mean for Europe?

America goes to the polls on Tuesday in midterm elections that have divided the country. 

And in Europe, there are concerns that a strong showing by the right-wing Republican party -- and in particular some of the more extreme candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump -- could send some rather unwelcome shockwaves across the Atlantic. 

If the Republicans win control of Congress, Joe Biden's presidency will be knocked for six. Serious questions are being asked about the impact on US support for Ukraine against Russia's war, European security, and transatlantic trade ties.

Amid a toxic political atmosphere and with the last US president indicating he wants to run again in 2024,  a Trump-turbocharged Republican Party would surely galvanise the populist right in Europe and elsewhere.

The economy, and especially inflation, looms large for voters -- with divisions also running deep on issues such as abortion rights, crime, immigration, gun control and climate change.

US midterm elections traditionally deliver sitting presidents and congressional majorities a bloody nose. Despite some noticeable legislative achievements, Biden's approval ratings are particularly low. 

This time, conventional battlegrounds are increasingly tainted by disinformation and conspiracy theories, the threat of political violence, and faith in democracy itself.

"This is not simply a Democrat versus Republican election, it's also a ballot for control of the Republican party, which is in a deep, deep fight for what it stands for," said Professor Scott Lucas of the UK's Birmingham University and University College Dublin, and editor of EA Worldview.

"Ultimately this is a ballot for American democracy," he told Euronews. "The guardrails for American