The all-too important mid-term elections in the US will take place on Tuesday, November 8. The elections will decide if the Democrats will get to keep the control of the US Congress where they hold a slim majority. The Senate numbers will also be crucial for the remaining days of the Joe Biden presidency as it is tied at 50-50 at the moment, with the vote of Vice-President Kamala Harris needed to break the tie.
Midterms In Numbers
The 2022 midterm elections are conducted in all 435 Congress seats across the country. The House of Representative members have a tenure of 2 years and elections are conducted in November every other year. However, the tenure for Senators if 6 years, and this means one third of the members are re-elected every two years. This year, 35 Senate seats are contested. Also, as many as 36 states will elect new governors.
When is the Midterm Election?
Major elections like the presidential elections and the midterms are conducted in November, with the polling day usually falling on the first Tuesday of November. If the first Tuesday is the first day of the month, the elections will be held on the second Tuesday. In 2022, the midterms are held on November 8. More than 40 million voters have already cast their votes by making use of early voting option.
What Are The Hot Issues?
Most Americans think the biggest election this year is economy. According to Pew Research, more than 80 percent of Americans think the economic conditions are poor. Other big issues are the supreme court verdict on abortion and rising gun violence. A lot of Americans are also concerned about the future of democracy.
When Will the Results Come?
The counting of votes will start after the polls close on the voting day, Tuesday, November 8. Early results will arrive by midnight and the final tally will be known by the morning of November 9.
What if Republicans Win House?
A GoP victory in the House of Representative will change the course of the Biden presidency and boost the Donald Trump camp. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has been a thorn on the side of the Republicans will also have to step down. The conflict between GoP and Democrats over the parliamentary agenda will worsen too. Significantly, the Congressional investigations into Trump over the January 6 riots will lose steam and the former president's path to a White House run will get smoother.
The Demcoratic legislative control has already been severely hampered as they hold on to a slim majority in the House even as the Senate remains evenly split. If the GoP wrests the control of Congress the remaining legislative agenda will be crippled and Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be removed. There has been chatter earlier that if they regain control of Congress by a wide margin, the Republicans could impeach President Joe Biden.
What if Democrats Win House?
The chance of Democrats winning more seats than they hold now in Congress is extremely unlikely. However, if they are able to hold on to the slim majority in House the Republicans will have failed miserably. The conditions are near perfect for the GoP to wrest back the control of Congress but if they don't, it will be catastrophic for them. Former President Donald Trump, who is silently putting together a bid for 2024 White House will have to abandon his ambitions in the absence of a clear GoP victory. His Republican challengers will be emboldened and the party will increasingly look beyond Trump as it sets eye on the 2024 US presidential election.
The Battle for Senate
While there are expectations that the GoP will wrest the control of House, the Senate race is even more evenly poised. Whichever side wins the Senate will be only left with a thin majority, according to political observers.
Key Senate Races
All eyes will be on the Senate races in states like Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin.
In Georgia, Democrat Raphael Warnock is locked in a close race with Republican Herschel Walker, while the Arizona race between Democrat Mark Kelly and Republican Blake Masters is in dead heat. The Pennsylvania Senate race is noted as Trump-endorsed Republican Mehmet Oz has an edge over Democrat John Fetterman. The race in Nevada between Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican Adam Laxalt as well as the Wisconsin matchup between Democrat Mandela Barnes and Republican Senator Ron Johnson are too close to call.
