In the US congressional elections, President Joe Biden’s Democrats successfully defended their majority in the Senate. They occupy the hard-fought senate seat of Catherine Cortez Masto in the state of Nevada, American television channels CNN, NBC and CBS reported on Saturday evening based on vote counts. The Democrats hold 50 of the 100 seats in the Senate and Vice President Kamala Harris has the casting vote in deadlock situations.
“I am incredibly happy with the outcome,” Biden said on Sunday in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he is attending the ASEAN summit. “I feel good and I look forward to the coming years.” Biden said he was an inveterate optimist, so the result didn’t surprise him. “And I think it reflects the quality of our candidates.”
There was no wave of success for the Republicans
It is still unclear who will have the majority in the House of Representatives in the future. Before the election, a wave of success had been predicted for the Republicans and a debacle for the Democrats—neither of which happened. The Democrats performed much better than expected. Regarding the Republican Party, Biden said they now have to decide “who they are.”
The congressional elections took place last Tuesday. In the midterm vote in Biden’s four-year term, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and about a third of the seats in the Senate were up for grabs. In addition, important governorships were filled in numerous states.
Democrats win thrilling race in Nevada
However, the vote count in Nevada dragged on due to an extremely close race between the two opponents and electoral quirks. In the end, however, Democrat Cortez Masto won against her Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, largely thanks to votes from the Las Vegas area, the broadcasters unanimously reported. This means that President Biden’s party has already secured the Senate majority, even though there is still a race for a Senate seat in Georgia.
The backdrop is that Democratic Vice President Harris is allowed to vote in a stalemate because by virtue of her office she also serves as Senate President. That means if the Republicans win the runoff in Georgia, the Senate would have a 50-50 balance of power, as it has for the past two years, but the Democrats would still have a razor-thin majority thanks to Harris.
Georgia drain in early December
In Georgia, a runoff election will take place on December 6 between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker, as neither received more than 50 percent of the vote in the first attempt. If the Democrats also win in Georgia, they will have 51 seats in the Senate.
This scenario would be a little more comfortable for Biden than before. Because the first half of his term has shown how difficult it is to govern with a razor-thin majority in the Senate. Two party members in particular made it difficult for him there: Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema blocked various Biden projects.
The Senate is of particular importance in the US political power structure. Important personal details at the federal level – such as ambassadors, cabinet members or federal judges – must be confirmed by the Senate. The appointment of judges is particularly important.
Fierce battle for seats in the House of Representatives
Various votes are still being counted in the House of Representatives. 218 seats are needed for a majority in the House. After the votes have been counted so far, the Republicans came in on Saturday evening (local time) with 211 seats and the Democrats with 204. There, too, the race is much closer than predicted before the election.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
