Democrats are intensifying their efforts to maintain their control of the House of Representatives, and win the majority in the Senate to pass bills and plans for President Biden, and support his policies, while Republicans are seeking with all force to block his plans.
Voter turnout in the midterm elections is usually lower than the presidential one, but there are swing states that may decide the matter, as well as the role of early voting, which the Democratic Party has strongly advocated.
Why was it called by that name?
• Midterm elections are held every two years, called midterm elections; Because it comes in the middle of the president’s 4-year term.
Representatives, sheikhs and rulers
• Congress is divided into the House of Representatives and includes 435 members representing states according to their population size, while the Senate includes 100 senators, which means that there are two parliamentarians representing each state regardless of its population weight.
• Senators serve for 6 years, while Representatives serve only two years and represent smaller areas within the state. In these elections, Americans vote for all seats in the House of Representatives as well as a third of the Senate.
• On the same day, local legislative elections for the 50 states are held, and new governors are elected for 36 states.
• Congress enacts laws, after deputies decide which laws are to be voted on, while the Senate has the right to block or approve them, as well as certify appointments of senior officials made by the president of the country, and rarely calls for any investigations against the inhabitant of the White House.
two major parties
• There are two main parties in America, the Democratic Party, which is seen as a leftist liberal with progressive views, and the Republican Party, which is seen as right-wing and conservative.
• President Joe Biden belongs to the Democratic Party, which currently controls both houses of Congress, and although it is a “slight majority”, it enabled Biden to accomplish important and crucial files, as his programs such as health care, the bill to combat climate change, and taxes must obtain the approval of Congress. Or not.
How much do Republicans need to control Congress?
• The number of Democratic representatives is 222 (including two resignations, leaving 220), while the Republicans have 213 deputies in the House (one deputy died, leaving 212).
• The number of representatives in the Senate is 50 for Democrats and the same for Republicans, but the Democrats have the majority through Vice President Kamala Harris, who has the right to “break the tie”, by voting as the Speaker of the Senate.
• Republicans need to take control of 5 additional seats in the House of Representatives, and 1 additional seat in the Senate.
The most prominent issues of concern to Americans in this election:
• Inflation, especially its highest rate in four decades.
• Energy prices.
• Political division and fear of violence.
• The right to abortion.
• Firearms.
pivotal elections
- American political analyst, Andrew Boyfield, told Sky News Arabia that it is a pivotal election, as its results will have a significant impact on the agenda of Biden and the Democrats during the remaining two years of the US president’s rule, while the Republicans aspire to seize a majority in either or all of the two chambers.
- Boyfield added that the second scenario might lead to a legislative confrontation with the Biden administration on issues such as the economy, climate, and energy, and deepening political polarization.
- He pointed out that history is on the side of the Republicans, as well as opinion polls today, as the president’s party is always faced with a challenge to win the midterm elections, and if the Republicans take control, Biden will be the fifth president in a row to see his party lose one or both houses during his reign.
- He explained that the economy is the compass that largely determines the direction of the electorate in leading to great criticism of the US administration after inflation reached its highest level in 40 years, while Democrats defend what they have achieved in two years, especially in infrastructure and job growth.
- He asserted that whoever controls either or both houses controls the political programme, and that the president’s ability to carry out his plans depends on whether his party has control of the Congress or not.
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