The Democratic Party secured control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the US midterm elections this morning (Wednesday). The results of the midterm elections, which began coming in overnight, are being released gradually, but it is already clear that this is a major achievement for the Democrats and an electoral defeat for President Donald Trump.
The results include Democratic victories in Republican strongholds, including a significant-margin victory for Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race, in conservative Texas. This is the first time since 1988 that Democrats have won a Senate seat in Texas.
The Democratic victory there was completed by Latina-American Gina Hinojosa, who won the Texas gubernatorial election against incumbent Governor Greg Abbott. She will be the first Democratic governor of Texas in 32 years. The Democrats also won a Senate seat in Kansas for the first time since 1932, with their candidate, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton.
President Trump told The New York Times that he would accept the election results. “We’ll work with the Democrats. We look forward to working with them,” he said. “We’ll surely find something that works.” At the same time, Trump posted an image of a red hat bearing the word “VETO” on his social media platform, hinting that he would veto legislation the Democrats seek to pass.
In a conversation with The Wall Street Journal, Trump acknowledged that the war in Iran and the resulting rise in oil prices were among the factors behind the Republicans’ failure in the elections: “That was part of it.” According to an Associated Press poll of voters in the midterm elections, around two-thirds of voters believe that Trump’s policies have led to a deterioration in the economic situation in the US.
Anti-Israel candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the election in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim senator in US history. In his victory speech, he said: “We want our tax dollars to be invested here, in schools, healthcare and infrastructure, and not in funding apartheid, genocide or war.”
US midterm elections are held two years after the presidential election, halfway through the president’s term. In these elections, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, who represent electoral districts and serve two-year terms, are up for election, along with around one-third of the 100 members of the Senate, in which each state has two representatives who serve six-year terms. In many states, voters also elect governors and local officials on the same day, and sometimes vote on proposed legislation. Since laws must pass through both chambers of Congress – the House of Representatives and the Senate – losing the majority in either makes it more difficult for the president to advance his agenda.