According to provisional results, established by the media of the two rival camps, Republicans and Democrats are neck and neck for control of the Senate, with 47 seats won for the former, 48 for the latter. It takes 51 to have a majority. In the House of Representatives, held so far by the Democrats with a narrow majority of five seats, the Republicans seem to be winning the battle by 198 seats against 173.
Those are decisive midterm elections forpolitical future of Joe Biden and Donald Trump. While the final results are not yet known, initial estimates suggest a Republican lead in the House of Representatives, while the fate of the Senate remains uncertain.
In this tight context, the Democrats won this Wednesday morning the most disputed seat of this election, the post of senator from Pennsylvania, with the victory of John Fetterman against a candidate dubbed by Donald Trump. The seat had previously been occupied by a Republican who had not wished to run again.
The Republicans won their side on Tuesday a first victory in one of the most contested seats in the US Congress, in Ohio. By leading a fierce campaign on inflation, JD Vance, one of the Republican billionaire’s foals, won the coveted position of senator from this state, America’s industrial and agricultural bastion.
Handicapped by a record price hike, Joe Biden could lose control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in these midterm polls traditionally unfavorable to the ruling party, and see his action paralyzed for the next two years.
His predecessor donald trumpwho has vigorously supported a large number of Republican candidates – he was still in a meeting Monday evening in Ohio – put for his part on the success of his lieutenants to launch under the best auspices in the 2024 presidential race. He promised “a very big announcement” on November 15.
The 76-year-old billionaire also wanted to be present during this election night, making a short television statement on Tuesday, relatively disjointedto congratulate itself on the success of some of its many candidates in the various polls, without dwelling on the defeats of other of its foals.
Uncertainty in Congress
But the Democratic camp was not left empty-handed. He snatched two governorships from Republicans from conservatives: in Maryland and Massachusetts, where Maura Healey will be the first lesbian to head a state. Joe Biden called her immediately to congratulate her.
The 79-year-old Democratic leader’s party also saved itself a big scare by retaining control of New York State, where Republicans believed they could unseat Governor Kathy Hochul.
Rest Congress: opinion polls predict a large Republican victory in the House, a classic scenario in American politics, where the “midterms” often turn to sanction for the White House party. But the red “giant wave” – the color of the Republicans – promised by Donald Trump, had not yet materialized on Tuesday evening, the counting being far from complete.
“It’s certainly not a Republican wave, that’s for sure,” said influential Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend of the former president, on NBC.
Senate scrutiny hangs on results from Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin. Without mentioning possible legal challenges, it will probably take several days to be certain, given the rules for counting postal votes. Monday evening, 44 million voters had opted for this way of voting.
Sensation DeSantis
As polling stations closed one after the other, and while we waited to see where the American Congress tipped, attention was also focused on the gubernatorial elections. And in particular on Florida, where outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis was triumphantly re-elected.
Rising star of the conservative camp, possible contender for the White House in 2024, he congratulated himself in an offensive speech on having made this southern state, long considered leaning sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, a “promised land for Republicans, where “the woke ideology comes to die.” And where outgoing Republican Senator Marco Rubio was also re-elected.
“I’m just starting the fight,” the 44-year-old governor promised. Something to tickle his potential rival for the nomination and another Florida resident … former President Donald Trump.