Midterm elections in the US: Biden fears for a majority in Congress (video)

STORY: A new congress will be elected in the USA on Tuesday. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate are at stake. Republicans only need five additional seats to win the House of Representatives. According to surveys, their chances of doing so are good. The race for the Senate is likely to be tighter. But here, one more seat is enough for the Republicans to take over the majority. In addition to Congress, 36 governorships and thousands of other political offices at the state and local levels will also be filled. For US President Joe Biden, the outcome of the election is of great importance, even if his name is not on the ballot papers: If his Democrats lose control of even one of the two houses of parliament, the Republicans could make the government’s work much more difficult. A day before the US congressional elections, polls showed that his support among voters had fallen slightly. The central theme of the election campaign was high inflation, which the Republicans blamed on the Democrats. Biden, on the other hand, warned above all of a danger to democracy from ex-President Donald Trump and numerous Republican candidates who, like Trump, still do not recognize Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Depending on how successful they are, Trump could use the tailwind to potentially announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election soon. He will make a “big announcement” at his Florida home on November 15, he said Monday at a campaign event in Ohio. He did not give any further details. The last polling stations close Wednesday morning German time. Due to the expected tight outcome of some races, it cannot be ruled out that it may take a few days before all the results are finally known.