UNITED STATES: The US midterm election day commences from today. Voters will choose who will lead the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together make up the US Congress.
The crucial US midterm elections, which started voting on Tuesday, might determine President Joe Biden’s political destiny as well as that of his predecessor Donald Trump, who has almost certainly announced his desire to run for president again in 2024.
US is in disarray as the election begins
The United States of America, the oldest democracy in the world, is in disarray as the day of the midterm elections approaches.
However, it is anticipated that the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives. Currently, both are under Democratic control and are led by US President Joe Biden. Polls indicate that the race for the Senate is still too close to call.
35 Senate seats and all 435 members of the House of Representatives are up for election amid worries about crime and inflation. Joe Biden is conscious of the importance of these elections because, despite one of the greatest employment markets, voters are unsatisfied with the growing cost of living.
Republicans are expected to gain the five seats they need in the House, and the Senate, which is presently tied 50-50 with Democrats holding the tie-breaking vote, may come down to four close contests in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona.
After 7:00 pm ET, preliminary results will start to trickle in, but due to several crucial congressional races’ razor-thin margins, a complete picture may not become available for days or even weeks, laying the stage for likely contentious challenges.
Biden’s Democrats face a formidable battle to maintain control of Congress after a contest that the president has called a “defining” moment for US democracy, as Trump’s Republicans prominently emphasised issues like inflation and crime.
As Biden made a final plea to Democrats to vote in large numbers, Trump—who has all but confirmed he would run for president again in 2024—took advantage of the election night spotlight to make “a big announcement” on November 15.
Hundreds of candidates this year, many of whom are vying for positions that would give them direct power over the 2024 presidential elections in areas where Trump won, have erroneously claimed that his defeat was the result of widespread fraud.
The US Election Project’s data shows that more than 42 million Americans cast ballots in advance of the election, either in person or by mail. Control of the Senate might not be known until a potential runoff on December 6 in Georgia. State election officials warn as they count ballots in close races. Full results might not be known for days after the election.
A Republican-controlled House might stop Democrats’ top legislative concerns, such as abortion rights and climate change.
Republicans would try to use their clout to secure the corporate tax cuts that Democrats have been attempting to undo for the past two years while also preserving the individual tax cuts passed in 2017 under Trump.
Meanwhile, Biden’s judicial nominations, including any openings on the Supreme Court, would be subject to the approval of a Republican-controlled Senate.
A divided government would draw more attention to the court, which is becoming more and more conservative and has already made significant rulings that, among other things, have eliminated the right to abortion worldwide and greatly increased gun rights.
Additionally, there are 36 governorships as well as a plethora of other state-level elections on the ballot, including heated gubernatorial races in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia.
In an effort to stop Democratic losses, former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have travelled across the nation over the past week to urge supporters to cast ballots. Trump has also done the same as he prepares for a second presidential bid.
However, as Biden’s popularity dwindles, several Democrats in close races have consciously retreated from the White House.
Biden and other Democrats have raised concerns about a number of Republican aspirants who have either repeated or refused to refute President Trump’s false assertions that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
At a rally close to the capital, Biden said, “The power’s in your hands.” “We know in our bones that our democracy is at risk, and we know that this is your moment to defend it,” he further added.
The growing far-right party planned to stymie the remainder of Biden’s first term with vigorous investigations and resistance to spending plans, as polls indicated that Republicans were likely to capture the House of Representatives.
On his way back to the White House on Monday night, Biden told reporters that he thought Democrats would win the Senate but admitted that keeping the House would be “tough” and that his life in Washington would get “more difficult.”
If both the House and the Senate change hands, Biden would be left as little more than a lame duck. His legislative plan would fall apart if the Democrats lost control of Congress.
This would cast doubt on the president’s plans to address the climate problem at the COP27 summit this week in Egypt, as well as Republican reluctance to continue providing the US with the financial and military support it currently provides to Ukraine.
Also Read: U.S. Senate Democrats Point to a Lack of Election Workers before the Midterm Elections
