The 2022 midterms: what does this mean for the US?

On the 8th of November 2022, the midterm elections took place in the United States. But what exactly are midterm elections?

‘Midterms’, as they are frequently referred to, are elections for the United States’ congress, which is divided into two parts: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The role of the Congress in American politics is to establish nation-wide laws that affect the daily lives of American citizens, and its purpose is to act as the voice of the people. The House chooses which laws are voted on and the Senate has the power to either block or approve said laws, confirm appointments made by the president and conduct investigations against him. There are two senators per state, who serve six-year terms, and Representatives, who represent smaller districts, serve for two years.

The United States’ two major parties and recent majorities:

The politics of the United States is largely dominated by two opposing parties: the republicans and the democrats. The republicans are characterized by the color red, and an elephant logo, while the democrats are typically represented by the color blue, and a donkey logo. Democrats generally follow left-leaning, liberal and progressive ideological values, and push towards a strong government that regulates business and support for American citizens. On the other hand, republicans have a more conservative and right-leaning approach to politics, while advocating for economic liberalism. They prefer to have low government interference and a large support of the private sector.

For the past two years, democrats have narrowly held the majority in both the House and the Senate, however before the midterms polls suggested that republicans may gain a majority in the House. At the beginning of 2022, the main issues America was focused on were immigration, crime and cost of living, which were likely to sway people to the Republican side, although the overruling of Roe v Wade later on in the year would have likely boosted the Democrats’ votes, as the party is in favour of women’s abortion rights.

What do the expected results imply?

As of November 22nd, the official votes have not been released, and the election is still ongoing. However, it seems that democrats are holding the Senate while republicans are gaining the majority in the House. In the Senate, the democrats have 50 seats while the republicans have 49, and in the House, democrats have 209 seats while republicans have 220.

If the democrats manage to hang on, president Biden will likely be able to keep going with his plans, as these elections often show how a president is doing. With Republicans gaining either one of the Congress’ bodies, the inquiry on the January 2021 attack on the US capitol by former president Donald Trump’s supporters could be stopped. Investigations may also be launched in topics such as president Joe Biden’s son’s Chinese business dealings or the sudden withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. It would also become more difficult for the president to make new appointments. The midterms may also give hints as to who we can expect to run for the 2024 presidential elections; for example, Floridian republican governor Ron DeSantis, who had a great performance in the elections.