What is at stake in the US midterm elections?

• Midterm elections in the US are about to take place.
• This is what is at stake in 2022.
• What would happen if Republicans gain control of Congress?

Democrats have held a majority in both houses of Congress and the US presidency for the past two years but they may not hold such consolidated power for much longer, The Associated Press reported.

Republicans are favorites to gain control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections on November 8, fueled by voters’ frustration with the economic situation and the advantages of the redistricting process that takes place every 10 years.

What is at stake in the US midterm elections?

Democrats are fighting to remain in power, campaigning on preserving abortion access and other progressive issues. The picture is less clear in the Senate, where the Republicans will try to recover control, according to the AP.

Several of the battles in crucial swing states are very tight. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell declared that the chances of his party obtaining a majority are only 50%. Here’s a look at control of Congress and what will happen if Republicans win a majority in either house in the election.

What happens if control of the House of Representatives changes?

Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have held the majority since 2018, when they took control during the midterm elections from then-President Donald Trump’s administration. Republicans could regain control of the House if they pick up just five seats from dozens of districts in contention. They are trying to win dozens of seats.

In the modern era, the party that has won the White House has lost legislative seats in virtually every midterm election in a president’s first term. If Republicans win the lower house on November 8, the GOP caucus will elect a new House speaker on Jan. 3, 2023, the AP reported. Filed Under: US midterm elections

What would a Republican House of Representatives look like?

The Republican leader of the lower house, Kevin McCarthy, has already presented his plan, «Commitment to America», a set of economic, border security and other policies that the Republican Party would present in the first days of the next Congress.

A return to Republican power in the House would be a win for Trump, who has fought back against Democratic-led attempts to hold him accountable for the uprising on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. The vast majority of the Republicans who are expected to return to Washington next year, as well as a good deal of those who hope to win a first term, are loyal to Trump, the AP reported.

What would a Republican controlled House of Representatives mean for Biden?

Among those allies are far-right members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who was stripped of her committee assignments by Democrats for her extremist remarks. She would be part of a large ruling majority in a Republican House of Representatives. Greene was standing behind McCarthy when he presented the «Commitment to America» ​​in Pennsylvania last month.

Democratic priorities such as access to abortion, combating climate change and greater control over the sale and possession of firearms would be immediately sidelined. And most, if not all, of President Joe Biden’s agenda would be virtually dead by the last two years of his term, according to the AP. Filed Under: US midterm elections

Republicans have made their opposition to Biden a top priority

Nothing becomes law without Biden’s signature. Initiatives to finance the government, raise the debt limit, and deal with military issues are necessary for the government to function. Those initiatives are likely to become flashpoints during negotiations between Republicans, Democrats and the White House.

Biden, who was a senator for decades, has often boasted about his record on bipartisan deals and has said he wants to work with Republicans. But a Republican Congress that has made opposing Biden its top priority would not be very keen to do so.

What happens in the Senate?

Although control of the Senate could go to anyone after the election, the majority party is likely to have a very small advantage. That means Biden may be able to find a little more common ground in that chamber, no matter who controls it. Most of Biden’s legislative gains during his administration have been the result of bipartisan negotiations in the Senate.

Either way, a Republican-controlled upper house could pass bills sent to it by a Republican-majority lower house, applying political pressure on Biden. And the GOP could regain control of the committees, and with it the power to conduct investigations and government oversight. Filed Under: US midterm elections

What happens if the Democrats win?

According to The Associated Press, a Republican Senate could also complicate things for Biden by blocking or delaying the approval of the president’s nominees for positions in the judicial and executive branches.

If Democrats hold the Senate and Republicans win the House, the two chambers are unlikely to find much common ground. But Republicans could try to persuade moderate Democratic senators on some initiatives.