While preliminary results of the US midterm elections show that Republicans are likely to take control of the House of Representatives from the Democrats, the battle for the Senate following the midterm elections for the US Congress has not yet concluded for both parties.
As polls closed in most parts of the US, Republicans managed to wrest five seats from Democrats in the House of Representatives, according to Edison Research estimates.
But more importantly, in the 435-seat House of Representatives, Republicans with 212 seats need to reach 218 seats to overtake Democrats with 220 seats.
Kevin McCarthy, the leader of Republicans in the House of Representatives, said today that while Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives, the ‘conservative tide’ in the midterm elections appeared to be more limited than expected. “It is clear that we will take back the House,” McCarthy said as the vote count continued.
US President Joe Biden’s unpopularity and voters’ frustration with inflation were reflected in the early results, with some Democrats expressing concern about a humiliating defeat in the party.
Even a simple majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives could block Biden’s priorities in favor of investigations into his administration and family that could have devastating political effects.
Republicans’ hopes in the US Congress dwindled on Wednesday as Democrats sought to mitigate the damage in the midterm elections that will be crucial for the political future of both Joe Biden and his rival Donald Trump.
According to US media estimates, heart surgeon Prof. Mehmet Oz, the Republican Party’s Senate candidate in the state of Pennsylvania, supported by Republican billionaire Trump, lost the election to his Democratic Party rival John Fetterman.
The Joe Biden camp is hopeful of retaining control of the Senate, where Democrats are ahead in opinion polls.
The Democratic victory has also fueled speculation that the conservative wave in the House of Representatives promised by Donald Trump will be much more limited than originally expected.
The Democrats currently control the 100-seat Senate. Vice President Kamala Harris has pledged to engage with both parties.
In addition to the House of Representatives, there are 35 Senate seats and 36 gubernatorial races. According to Edison Research’s projections, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is likely to run on the Republican ticket in 2024, is thought to have overtaken his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist.
The final outcome of the congressional elections is unlikely to be known at this time. According to the US Election Project, more than 46 million Americans voted before election day, either directly at the polls or by mail.
Opinion polls showed that high inflation and abortion rights were the top concerns of voters.
Local officials reported some problems across the country, including a shortage of ballots in one county in Pennsylvania.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, a key electoral battleground, a judge denied a Republican request to extend voting hours after some sorting machines broke down.
The disruptions have fueled claims by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that the failures were intentional.
Dozens of Republican candidates claimed they were the result of ‘widespread fraud’ after Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden.
Voting in Florida, Trump has repeatedly hinted at his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election. The previous day, Trump said he would make a major announcement on November 15.
