How are America’s midterms held?
The United States, like many democracies, has two houses. The lower house, known as the House of Representatives, has 435 members who are elected for two-year terms. The upper house, known as the Senate, has 100 members elected from the country’s 50 states. Senators serve for six-year terms.
Midterms take place every two years when elections are held for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and for one-third of seats in the Senate. These elections, which also take place halfway through the four-year term of an American President, are also seen as a verdict on the performance of a presidential administration.
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What is at stake?
With all of the lower house and much of the upper house up for grabs, the Biden administration’s ability to enact reformist legislation is at stake. Currently. President Biden’s Democrats control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, their control is tenuous at best. Democrats hold a measly eight-seat advantage over Republicans in the lower house. In the Senate, both parties have fifty Senators each with Vice-President Kamala Harris, who can break ties, giving the Democrats a slight edge.
Polls indicate that the Republicans are likely to take control of the House of Representatives while the Senate is still hotly contested.
What are the issues?
The state of the economy looms large in voters' minds as they head to the polls. Inflation has reached multi-decade highs while fears of a recession linger. However, job growth has been consistently strong in recent months. All in all, the higher cost of living is hurting President Biden’s Democrats.
However, the Democrats are also receiving a boost from voters concerned about the future of abortion rights. After the US Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade judgement that guaranteed the right to abortion, Democrats have vowed to protect the rights at the national level. They also hope their efforts to reduce student debt and cut healthcare costs will bring in support from younger demographics.
How will a Republican victory change America’s politics?
A Republican majority in the House of Representatives will create headaches for the Biden Administration. They can launch investigations into the Administration and have already announced their intention to look into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the son of the incumbent US President. Battles over ambitious spending plans and government debt levels will also become protracted. If the Republicans win the House and the Senate, it will imperil Biden’s ability to even appoint key government officials. Supreme Court justices, ambassadors to key allied countries and a host of other appointments may be held up by Republicans as political leverage. This will lead to a sharp increase in tensions between the White House and Congress along with crippling gridlock and delays in decision making.
Will the results of the US election impact India?
The American midterms are unlikely to impact bilateral ties with India. Support for ties with New Delhi remains strong across both parties. Cooperation on defence, economic ties and combating China’s rise will likely continue unabated. However, a divided government at home impacts America’s ability to achieve its goals internationally. An example of this is the bitter battle over the debt ceiling between President Obama and the Republican Party in 2011. Domestic disagreements over the national debt threatened America’s financial credibility and sparked fears of an international financial crisis given the importance of the US economy to global financial markets. As such, a divided government in America hurts New Delhi, which counts Washington among its most important global partners.
Elsewhere in Mint
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