Trump aims to upend convention again after midterm campaign of fear, lies and defiance

(CNN)Once again, Donald Trump is betting he knows best about how to win an election, in a new swipe at conventional political wisdom that will make for an especially tense and unpredictable night once midterm results start rolling in. The President charged into Election Day Tuesday flinging vitriol and fear, false claims and politically incorrect rhetoric, defying warnings by GOP aides that his divisive style could cost Republicans the House of Representatives and that he should be focusing exclusively on the hot economy. Two years into Trump's tempestuous presidency, Democrats are targeting their best election results in six years. But given uncertainty over the quality of polling, questions over the makeup of the electorate and Trump's talent for busting political norms, no one can say for how the election will play out. Handicapping the races for all 435 House seats and one-third of the Senate is especially difficult because Trump has chosen an inflammatory campaign strategy that even some top GOP officials fear could backfire. After ditching a message about the roaring economy in favor of a searing race-fueled attack on Democrats over immigration, Trump is trusting his own feel for what voters want to hear is still more acute than the advice of Republican strategists.