Phoenix, Washington In the congressional elections in the United States, President Joe Biden’s Democrats defended their majority, at least in the Senate. The opinion research institute Edison Research, the news agency AP and the major US television stations predicted a victory for the democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in the state of Nevada on Sunday night after days of counting crime.
This will give the Democrats at least 50 seats in the Chamber of Congress, which would correspond to the previous constellation. A December 6 runoff for the last remaining seat in Georgia could even see her emerge stronger from the midterm election in the Senate. The result in Nevada is also another setback for ex-President Donald Trump, because a candidate he supported lost here too.
The incumbent Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, welcomed the result as a sign of the strength of democracy in the United States. “America has shown that we believe in our democracy, that the roots of democracy are deep and strong,” he told reporters.
The count for the House of Representatives is still ongoing. A narrow Republican victory was still expected in the second chamber of Congress. You could use it to block Biden’s political projects in the next two years.
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The US President said he was “incredibly pleased with the outcome” in Nevada. “I’m feeling good and looking forward to the next few years,” said Biden on Sunday morning (local time) in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where he is attending the Asean Summit. He is an incorrigible optimist, so the result does not surprise him. “And I think it reflects the quality of our candidates.” Biden said the focus is now on the pending vote for the remaining Senate seat in Georgia.
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Both parties currently have 50 seats each in the Senate. However, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has the casting vote in standoffs in the Congress Chamber. Since there is no faction pressure in the US, the majority of Democrats in the Senate has been extremely fragile over the past two years. In particular, Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema blocked various Biden projects. With a win in Georgia, the Democrats would have a 51-49 vote.
Democrats could get judge candidates through more easily
The outcome in the Senate is a partial victory for the Democrats in Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which some polls had previously predicted clear majorities for the Republicans – known as the “red wave” after their party color. Continued control of the chamber should make it easier for Democrats to fill vacant senior judgeships at the federal level with their nominees.
The US President is pleased with the defense of the majority in the Senate.
(Photo: AP)
Biden’s nominations for dozens of vacancies are subject to Senate approval. Should even a seat on the Supreme Court become vacant by the next presidential and congressional elections in 2024, the Democrats could at least contain the conservative majority of six to three seats there.
Experts expect a narrow majority for Republicans in Congress
It was initially unclear when the result from the House of Representatives would be available. It could be days before we get a final result. Experts continue to expect that the Republicans will win a narrow majority of the 435 seats.
Success in the state of Nevada gives the Democrats a majority in Congress.
(Photo: AP)
According to the votes counted so far, the Republicans came to 211 seats on Sunday night (local time) and the Democrats to 204 – 218 seats are needed for a majority. Biden admitted that it would be difficult to defend the majority there: “It’s a challenge.”
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The House of Representatives has the upper hand on budget issues. In addition, the Republicans could block bills by the Democrats there, which in the United States have to be passed in identical form by both chambers. They could continue to set up investigative committees and put pressure on Democrats.
They could also start impeachment proceedings against Biden, although it is likely to fail in the Senate. According to a May poll by the University of Massachusetts, more than two-thirds of Republicans support such a move.
Defeat in Nevada is defeat for Donald Trump
With the victory of incumbent Cortez Masto over her Republican challenger Adam Laxalt in Nevada, another Republican who had been supported by Trump suffered a defeat. On Friday, Democratic Senator Mark Kelly had already prevailed in Arizona against Republican Blake Masters, who Trump had also supported.
In the absence of the “red wave,” internal party critics have accused Trump of supporting candidates who follow his political line but do not appeal to the electorate as a whole. Trump has continued to be popular within his party of late: A Reuters/Ipsos poll in October showed that three-quarters of Republicans would be more likely to vote for a candidate who endorses or is supported by Trump. In the US population as a whole, however, Trump’s approval ratings are comparatively low – as is that of incumbent Biden.
Herschel Walker, a Republican who received support from Trump, is also on the ballot for the last remaining Senate vote in Georgia. If a Democrat, Raphael Warnock, prevails here too, criticism of the ex-president within the party is likely to increase.
Trump had announced a “significant statement” before the latest results from the Senate for Tuesday. It had been speculated that he could announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
More: Trump is the loser of the midterms – now his party could drop him