Biden and Trump make their final calls before the midterm elections

First modification: 07/11/2022 – 14:59

Elections that will determine the next two years of the Joe Biden government and will shape the future of American democracy.

Democrats and Republicans are vying for control of Congress, but also the results of the mid-term elections this Tuesday, November 8, could reveal the names of the candidates for the next votes for the Presidency of the United States.

Specifically, Americans vote for the entire House of Representatives and more than a third of the Senate. In addition, the elections will determine 36 of the 50 state governors and numerous mayors.

With these objectives in mind, the top political leaders of each caucus take the podium at the end of the campaign. Democratic President Joe Biden leads a rally in Maryland this Monday, November 7; while his predecessor, the controversial former Republican president Donald Trump, leads his last campaign rally in Ohio, in favor of Senate candidate JD Vance.

Ohio is a politically significant state for Trump, as it has allowed him to demonstrate his enduring influence with conservative voters.

Both have been touring the country. Biden is struggling to stem an eventual defeat for his party as Republicans prepare for radical gains.

Beyond the seats, what is at stake in the midterm elections

In the current scenario, the blue bench maintains a tight control of the Legislative. The Senate has 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats. However, Kamala Harris, in her capacity as vice president, has a vote that, if a tiebreaker is necessary in a vote, would tip the balance towards progressives.

The House of Representatives is controlled by the Democrats, with 222 members against 213 conservative legislators.

With a Lower House that is renewed every two years and a Senate with members elected for a period of six years, the results will reveal the room for maneuver that Joe Biden’s Executive will have to govern on internal issues. Among them, the national budget and policies on important issues for American citizens, such as abortion.

In addition, it will determine foreign policy decisions, in the midst of a complex panorama at the global level due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and its respective effects on the scarcity of hydrocarbons and inflation.

Yes progressives manage to maintain control of the House of Representatives and increase their advantage in the Senate, they will have an advantage to pass new laws and would have a political incentive in case they obtain adverse results in the next presidential elections in 2024.

However, if the Republicans gain control of both chambers, they will have in their hands the ability to block proposals for the remainder of Joe Biden’s term, including those concerning gun control policies, environmental measures and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Some conservatives, as reported by the local press, could even open an investigation of Biden for his management of the Covid-19 pandemic or relaunch an investigation against his son Hunter for alleged tax evasion.

In the event that the Republicans achieved a majority in the Senate, which approves the judges of the federal courts, they would even have the possibility of blocking the appointments made by Biden, including those of the Supreme Court.

Voters may rebuke the party that controls the White House and Congress amid rising inflation, crime concerns and pessimism about the country’s direction.

History suggests that the party in power would suffer significant losses in the midterm elections.

According to the polls of the specialized portal ‘FiveThirtyEight’, Biden could face the last part of his legislature without control of either the Senate or the House of Representatives.

These elections would also show the path of what would be the next Executive. Trump has been campaigning for Republican lawmakers and governors, but he’s also focused on his own political future. After telling a crowd in Iowa last week that he is “very, very, very likely” he will run for President again.

“I’ll probably have to do it again, but stay tuned,” he said.

Midterm elections often serve as a referendum on the president. Biden’s public approval rating has hovered below 50% for more than a year, reaching 40% in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

That same study showed that 69% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track and only 18% said it is on the right track.

With Reuters, AP and local media