Washington, Denver A tired but happy Charles Schumer appeared in front of the press on Sunday night. “We’ve always had faith that we’d do well in this election,” the Democratic Senate Majority Leader said in the lobby of his New York office. “People opposed Donald Trump’s lies,” Schumer said. “America has shown that the roots of our democracy are deep and strong.”
A few minutes earlier, the major US media had declared the Democrats the winner of the Senate race in the state of Nevada – and that made it clear: US President Joe Biden’s party would retain its majority in the powerful Congress Chamber. With that, they don’t even have to wait for the last open state of Georgia, which goes into the runoff on December 6th.
So far, the Senate has been divided exactly fifty-fifty. Democrats can pass legislation through the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. If they now also win Georgia, they would even have one more vote, which would also give them the upper hand on the committees.
Democratic Senator Catherin Cortez Mastro was declared the winner of the Nevada election on Saturday night. She thus prevailed in one of the hardest-fought races against Republican Adam Laxalt. Previously, Senator Mark Kelly won in Arizona and John Fetterman in Pennsylvania – a seat that was believed to be firmly in Republican hands.
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The Democrats have thus bucked historical trends. Since World War II, the party that sits in the White House has lost an average of four Senate seats in the midterms. Biden, however, held the chamber, which is considered a great success in Washington.
Success for the Democrats
The Republicans still have a good chance of conquering the second chamber of Congress with the House of Representatives, because the counts are still being counted in some key constituencies. However, the majority of Republicans will probably be much narrower than forecast.
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According to TV broadcaster CNN, the Republicans currently have 211 seats and the Democrats 204. If Biden’s party loses the majority as expected, that would be enough to largely undermine Biden’s agenda for the second half of his term.
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Some Republicans in the House of Representatives are pushing for impeachment proceedings against the US President or his cabinet – because of the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal or the refugee crisis on the border with Mexico. There are even Republicans who want to deadlock the budget negotiations, which could lead to a blatant economic crisis.
But a majority in the Senate is a prerequisite for Biden to push through nominations for important positions in government, regulators and the Supreme Court. For the President, a divided Congress is still better than one that is completely in Republican hands.
US Democrats retain majority in Senate
The Republicans’ poor performance is also because a number of unconventional candidates backed by ex-President Donald Trump lost the race in the midterm elections. Trump is the loser of the midterms – and there are signs that his party is dropping him.
The cash flows of the ex-president, as could be observed in rows, are no longer a guarantee of victory. Also, the fanatical views of many Trump candidates who spread conspiracy theories about rigged elections had apparently deterred. Instead of a “red tsunami,” as some polls had predicted, there were just a few notable Republican wins in the midterms.
turning point for Republicans
The elections could therefore mark a turning point, with the party breaking away from Trump after more than six years – and bringing a whole squad of potential candidates onto the scene who want to run for the 2024 presidential elections. “The old party is dead. It’s time to bury it and build something new,” Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley wrote on Twitter.
Trump’s former spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News, “Trump needs to take a break,” alluding to his plans to run for the White House again in 2024.
On Tuesday, the ex-president wants to make “a big announcement” at his golf club in Florida. But on election night, conservative media celebrated instead of Trump the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, who is considered a promising candidate for the presidential candidacy. “Trump tried to play the kingmaker. It backfired,” said Dan Eberhart, CEO of Denver-based oil services company Canary, which has donated to the Republican Party for years.
The success in the state of Nevada brings the Democrats a majority in the Senate.
(Photo: AP)
DeSantis isn’t the only one who could take on Trump. Whether ex-Vice President Mike Pence, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley or ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: They were all once inextricably linked to Trump, but have subtly distanced themselves from him in recent months.
However, it is unclear whether it will break completely. Trump is still the biggest fundraiser, in the mid-term election campaign his rallies were packed. It is to be expected that the Republicans will split into a camp of Trump loyalists and Trump critics.
The US President is pleased with the defense of the majority in the Senate.
(Photo: AP)
This could soon be observed in the House of Representatives. Right-wing candidates such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, real “Maga Republicans”, have confidently defended their seats as MPs. And the leader of the Republican Convention, Elise Stefanik, is sticking with Trump. “It is very clear that President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party,” she said after the midterms.
You are said to have ambitions for the candidacy for the vice presidency. If Trump is likely to announce his candidacy on Tuesday, he could prominently feature her and proclaim her “running mate” at a later date.
And there are also many in the Senate who continue to support Trump. Currently, a group in the Senate is trying to delay Mitch McConnell’s election as minority Republican leader. It should only take place when the result of the runoff election in the state of Georgia is clear. There, Republican Herschel Walker, a former football star, faces Raphael Warnock, who currently holds the seat for the Democrats.
More: Trump is the loser of the midterms – now his party could drop him