US midterm congressional elections: What’s at stake

We are only days away from the 2018 US midterm congressional elections, a battle between the Republican and the Democratic parties that will determine the future of US politics for the next two years.

Traditionally, midterm elections have been about winning more influence in the Senate and the House of Representatives in order to drive home political objectives that while different along the party lines, never threatened to turn the government system on its head.

However, thanks to a very divisive presidential election in 2016 which saw Donald Trump enter the White House, the November 6 face-off between the Democrats and the Republicans have turned into an all-out war that has already raised the alarms about the beginning of a dark chapter in the history of US politics.

More than anything, this year’s candidates are separated by their positions with regards to Trump’s racist and discriminatory policies towards immigrants and minorities.

Trump hopes that the same vitriolic remarks about Islam, Central American immigrants and America-first style of government would help his party cement its grip over both chambers of Congress.

On the other side, Democrats think that the very divisive rhetoric coming out of the Republican camp provides them with a unique “blue wave” opportunity to once again become the party of majority, which will in turn allow them to do the unthinkable: impeaching Trump.

Victory is so critical that former President Barack Obama has come out of the woodwork and taken on an unusual role to encourage Democrats to vote.

Former first lady Hillary Clinton, who suffered an embarrassing upset against Trump in 2016, is also actively campaigning for Democrats.

Studies show that this year’s election is on course to become the most expensive in US history with an estimated cost of $5.2 billion in campaign spending, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). That’s around $1.5 billion more than the 2014 midterm votes.

What’s at stake?

Up for the grabs are all 435 seats of the House and 35 seats of the 100-seat Senate.

The Senate race is going to be tricky for Democrats because 23 of those seats are currently painted blue compared to the eight held by incumbent GOPers. Given the current 51-47 majority, Republicans seem to have an easier job here.

It’s a different story in the House.

As the election draws closer, Donald Trump's party has “all but [given] up” on maintaining Republican control of the House of Representatives.

Democrats need to win 24 seats to hit 218 and gain a majority.

That’s not too much considering the fact that the president's party has lost an average of 32 seats in the House and two in the Senate in every midterm election since the Civil War, according to NBC News.

Of the 21 midterm elections held since 1934, the president's party has only managed to make gains in the House three times and in the Senate five times.

The president's approval rating has been a good indicator for the outcome of the midterms. That number for Trump has been hovering around 42 percent.

That’s less than Obama’s 45 percent before the 2010 midterms, when Democrats suffered some of the biggest electoral losses in US history.

Another concern for Republicans is the high number of retirements this year. Over 30 seating Republican lawmakers have announced that they won’t run for re-election due to age or sexual assault accusations, making their seats vulnerable to Democrats.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk