US midterm elections: First polling stations are open

There is a lot at stake this year in the so-called midterms. It will be decided for President Biden how much he can still achieve politically in the next two years. His predecessor Trump is adding to the tension on election day.

The midterm congressional elections, which have been eagerly awaited around the world, have begun in the USA. On the US east coast, the first polling stations opened early in the morning (local time).

The congressional elections in the middle of the four-year term of office of the US president (“midterms”) are traditionally considered a vote on his policies. They will determine how much political space incumbent Joe Biden has over the next two years.

Democrats are at risk of losing their majority

Amid high inflation and fears of a recession, many voters are unhappy with the Biden administration. Its Democrats are threatened with losing their majority in both chambers of Congress. According to polls, former President Donald Trump’s opposition Republicans are likely to gain control of the House of Representatives. They also have a good chance of gaining a majority in the Senate.

Without a majority in both chambers, a president can only make little lasting change in domestic politics. In addition, he and his government are threatened with various parliamentary investigations and possible impeachment proceedings. Should the Senate also fall to the Republicans, Biden would no longer get any personal details at the federal level that have to be confirmed in the chamber. This also applies to the important filling of federal judge posts.

Tight races expected

The election will upset all 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats. The first meaningful results are expected early Wednesday morning Central European Time after the first polling stations have closed. The governors of 36 of the 50 states and other representatives at the state level are also elected.

According to some experts, the outcome of the elections could only be known after several days or even weeks due to some tight races. Many people took advantage of the opportunity to vote by post or in person before the actual election day.

Trump’s influence at different levels

Shortly after the elections, it is also expected that ex-President Trump could announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. At the end of the campaign on Monday, he said he would make a “very big announcement” in the coming week. The Republican’s continued influence is reflected in the election at various levels. He aggressively supported various party colleagues during the election campaign, including candidates who shared his unsubstantiated claims about the “stolen” 2020 election and, following Trump’s example, refused to promise in advance that they would recognize an election result even in the event of a defeat.

Trump loyalists sometimes apply for offices that are particularly important in the US electoral system: governors or – previously hardly noticed – “secretaries of state”, which are involved in the certification of election results. Should many of “his” candidates prevail, Trump could use this momentum for a new presidential bid.

Biden wants to stick to climate policy

Although it is not a presidential election, the “midterms” could also have consequences beyond the borders of the USA. The Republicans in the House of Representatives have threatened to slow down or even block large-scale US aid to Ukraine if they win the Chamber of Congress. That would have the potential to sway the course of the war in Russia’s favour. However, observers suspect that the threat is more of an attempt to build up pressure in order to wrest a concession from the Democrats elsewhere.

US climate commissioner John Kerry assured on election day that President Biden would stick to his climate policy regardless of the outcome of the election. Even if his Democrats lose their majority in both chambers of Congress, Biden is “more determined than ever” to continue his climate protection course, Kerry said at the UN climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Global warming is a “challenge that humanity has never faced,” Kerry said. “The climate crisis not only threatens our infrastructure, economy and security – it threatens every single aspect of our everyday lives.” Kerry acknowledged that the US, as the world’s largest economy and second largest greenhouse gas emitter, had “a special responsibility for the less developed countries, for the Third World, for the South”. His country therefore wants to contribute to a just, climate-friendly restructuring of these states. Biden will only visit the UN climate conference after the midterm elections: On Friday he wants to speak personally at the COP27.

Start of the midterm elections: Many New Yorkers go to the ballot box with concern

Antje Passenheim, ARD New York, November 8, 2022 2:25 p.m