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Tension rises in the US due to Midterms: what is at stake in the midterm elections?

The United States is preparing for an exciting political week. On November 8, 2022, there will be midterm, midterm elections with the division of the Senate and the House of Representatives as stakes. The Storming of the Capitol in January 2021 is still fresh in the memory, while the presidential elections of 2024 – perhaps with Donald Trump – cast their shadow ahead. What’s at stake?

What are the Midterms for?

The so-called Midterm Elections take place once every 4 years, in between the presidential elections. Also in the Midterms it is between the 2 major parties of the country, the Democrats and the Republicans. The result of these by-elections determines the distribution of seats in 2 main political bodies. What is the significance of these 2, The Senate and the House of Representatives?

What does the Senate do?

The U.S. Senate seats 100 Senators, 2 per state. This legislative body of power controls the laws and decisions of the president. In doing so, it has a far-reaching competence. After all, the adoption of bills and important appointments requires a majority in the Senate. And if the president vetoes it, the Senate with a majority of at least 67 percent can override this veto again. During the Midterms of november 2022, 34 of the 100 seats will be available. The remaining senators will either resign or seek re-election.

What does the House of representatives do?

The House of Representatives has 435 members. They, like the Senators, can submit and approve or reject bills. For a law to be passed, a majority in the House of Representatives is needed. The Senate has traditionally had more influence, because the turnover is greater in the House of Representatives. The members of the House serve in terms of 2 years and the largest states provide the most delegates. In November 2022, all 435 seats will be available, but delegates can remain for years in the event of continuous re-election.

How did the previous Midterms end?

In 2018, the differences between the two parties are particularly small. The Senate split is 50-50, although the Democrats with Vice President Kamala Harris have an extra vote. In 2022, there will be more Republican senators than Democratic senators. The Republicans can therefore only make a limited gain in territory, but it is possible that they will get a majority in the Senate. In the House of Representatives, too, the distribution is fairly even. After the 2018 election – and the interim departure of 3 senators-there are 220 Democratic and 212 Republican delegates. Nancy Pelosi has a Democratic President. But after the Midterms in November 2022, it can go in all directions.

Why are these elections so exciting?

Both the Senate and the House of representatives sit in the Capitol, in Washington, DC. An infamous page in American history will be added there in early 2021. Trump does not accept that he lost the presidential election to Joe Biden, after which his supporters storm the Capitol. This is done during the ratification of the election results, which is normally a formality. But this storming sheds a whole different light on the next big election. Will it get worse if the Republicans lose? Or is the whole democratic system going to kick up if the Republicans win a majority? And will Trump’s new presidential ambitions get a boost, should the majority of the Senate and/or House of Representatives be on his hand? The answers to those questions will follow soon.




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