 US President Joe Biden (Photo: Keystone/ Leigh Vogel) |
There are good reasons for the whole world to pay attention to this election in the world’s number one economy.
An important political and social event for the US
All 435 seats of the House of Representatives and 35 of 100 Senate seats are being contested in this election, which will also decide the governors of 36 states and three territories. A number of major US cities will elect new mayors and other city officials. Also on the ballot are 129 local ballot measures.
Analysis of previous midterm elections shows that an incumbent President’s accomplishments in the first two years of his term have a decisive influence on American voters’ choices. Voters have a clear tendency to vote in favor of the President's party that has good governance. The results of the midterm congressional election will affect the strategy of each party in the presidential election that will be held two years from now.
Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have been actively campaigning in the final days. Incumbent President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, and former President Donald Trump were in Pennsylvania last Saturday for a final push to gain more votes for their parties. Victory in this midterm election is the number one goal of both Democrats and Republicans right now.
Challenge for the incumbent President and the Democratic Party
The Democrats currently hold the majority in the House of Representatives with 221 seats, while the Republicans have 212 seats. In the Senate the Republicans hold 50 seats, the Democrats 48 seats, and two independent senators, Angus King and Bernie Sanders, who support the Democratic Party.
The Parties essentially have equal seats in the Senate, but the Democratic Party has one important advantage: Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also the President of the Senate, casts the deciding voice if there is a tie.
The Democrats and incumbent President Joe Biden have been facing serious domestic and foreign challenges. The overarching challenge is strengthening and expanding the US’s influence globally, in the context of some developments unfavorable to the US – the Russia-Ukraine conflict, tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a stalemate in talks to restore the Iran nuclear deal, the strong rise of China, and a stronger sense of self-reliance on the part of certain allies in the Middle East and Europe.
Domestically, the number one task is preventing an impending recession while controlling inflation, which is now at its highest point in decades, in addition to dealing with grave challenges like gun violence and racism.
Political analysts say that the administration’s failure to achieve any clear result in handling these challenges has caused support for the Democratic Party to decline significantly.
Many are predicting post-election chaos in the US similar to the chaos that followed the 2020 Presidential election, which Trump refused to concede, leading to riots on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.