U.S. Congressional Elections; Democrats Win House of Representatives
In the U.S. congressional elections held simultaneously with the presidential election, Democrats have successfully maintained their majority of seats in the House of Representatives. A tight battle is underway over 35 seats in the Senate.
In the elections held on Tuesday, November 3rd (13 Aban), 35 of the 100 Senate seats as well as all House seats were voted on. Of the 35 Senate seats, 23 belonged to Republicans and 12 to Democrats.
According to Fox News television network, Democrats in the House of Representatives, as expected, have managed to maintain their majority of seats. They have so far been able to secure 232 of the 435 House seats. A total of 218 votes is needed to secure a majority in the House of Representatives.
In the battle to secure Senate seats, the Democratic candidate in Colorado was able to claim one seat by defeating their Republican opponent.
In the state of Alabama, this victory went to the Republicans.
According to the latest reports, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, who is considered one of Donald Trump’s staunch supporters, has managed to retain his seat in the Senate. He was able to secure 56.8 percent of the votes.
In Texas, Senator John Cornyn also managed to retain his Senate seat by defeating his Democratic opponent.
Mitch McConnell, the influential Republican Senator, has also been re-elected.
Currently, Republicans hold 53 of the 100 Senate seats. The battle in the Senate is over 14 seats where Democratic candidates have a better chance of securing them. However, the announcement of final Senate election results may take several days after the elections in some of these states, or possibly longer.
If Biden does not win, Democrats will need four seats to gain control of the Senate. If Biden wins, only three seats are needed, because according to law one of the seats will be held by the Vice President of the United States, who will also serve as President of the Senate.
Should Democratic candidates secure a majority of Senate seats and in case of Joe Biden’s victory, given that Democrats already hold a majority of House seats, a new chapter in American politics will open.
Should control of Congress fall into the hands of Democrats, even in the event of Trump’s re-election, Democrats would be able to block the advancement of many Republican policies.
The Senate is considered one of the most powerful and influential institutions in America, and securing a majority in it is of vital importance for both Biden and Trump.
Source: DW
