House control remains undecided as Republicans take the lead and focus on Florida, where Trump is expected to announce the 2024 election
As the balance of power in the US House of Representatives remained unresolved on Sunday, Democrats celebrated projections that they won control of the Senate, marking a significant victory for Joe Biden as Republicans backed by his presidential predecessor Donald Trump underperformed in key battleground states. .
While senior Democrats remained wary on Sunday about possibly keeping control of both chambers of Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the party's midterm performance after months of projections showing heavy losses.
"Who would have thought two months ago that this red wave would turn into a tiny droplet, if it actually happened," Pelosi told CNN.
He added: “We are still alive [to control the DPR] but again the race is near. We don't pray for victory…but you pray for God's will to be done.”
As of Sunday morning, Republicans were still seven seats out of the 218 needed to win control of the House, with Democrats needing 14, an indication that majorities on both sides would be slim. As internal discussions between Republicans escalate over a potential leadership role, with minority leader Kevin McCarthy facing opposition from far-right freedom caucuses, Pelosi remains cautious about her own future, saying she won't make any announcements about her plans until after House control. done. decided.
"My decision will then be rooted in the wishes of my family, and the wishes of my caucuses," Pelosi said, referring to her husband, Paul Pelosi's ongoing recovery following a violent robbery that was allegedly politically motivated and attacks on their family. home in San Francisco last month. He added: “There are different ways to make an impact. Speakers have tremendous power, but I will always have influence."
Democrats are projected to retain their control of the Senate on Saturday night when a tight race in Nevada is called for incumbent Catherine Cortez Mastro defeating Adam Laxalt, the Trump-backed former state attorney general.
The result marks a substantial victory for the Biden administration's agenda over the next two years, not only with regard to potential legislative negotiations but also other powers that include appointments to federal court.
Speaking to reporters in Cambodia during the Asean summit, Biden congratulated Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer but appeared to acknowledge how the Republican-controlled House could influence his agenda going forward.
"We feel good about where we are," Biden said. "And I know I'm a cocky optimist - I understand that - from the start, but I'm not surprised by the turnout."
Biden added that the party's focus will shift to Senate elections in Georgia next month, where incumbent Raphael Warnock will face Trump-backed Herschel Walker after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote. A win for Democrats in Georgia would give them an outright majority of 51, without needing vice president Biden Kamala Harris to sever Senate ties in their favor.
As the fallout from the midterm elections continues, attention is likely to turn to Florida next week, where Trump is expected to announce his 2024 presidential candidacy at his private members club in Palm Beach.
Although polls still show Trump is the preferred candidate among the Republican base, his support has shown signs of rift after many of the candidates he supported performed poorly last week. One poll released on Saturday showed Trump's support dropping six points to 50%, while far-right governor Ron DeSantis, who ran for re-election last week, saw support increase.
On Sunday, Maryland's outgoing Republican governor - Larry Hogan, a longtime Trump critic - urged the party to stay away from the former president's influence.
"You know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results," Hogan told CNN. "And Donald Trump kept saying: 'We're going to win so much, we're going to get tired of winning'. I'm tired of losing. That's all he does."
Nonetheless, Hogan - who himself is believed to be considering running in 2024 - acknowledged that removing Trump from the potential presidential nomination would be an uphill battle.
"He's still an 800 pound gorilla," Hogan said. “This is still a battle and will continue for the next few years. We're still two years away from the next election, and... the dust is still settling from this one. I think that would be a mistake, because I mentioned Trump harmed us in the last three elections and I don't want to see it happen a fourth time."
The midterms also proved to be an electoral rebuke to unsubstantiated accusations of electoral fraud in the 2020 election, baseless claims Trump has continued to press since losing the White House to Biden.
Many Trump-supported candidates in general elections, including the gubernatorial election in Pennsylvania and the Senate election in Arizona, have rejected the results of the 2020 election. In these two contests, as well as several other high-profile races, the Trump-backed candidate lost to the Democrats by a significant margin.
Although the Arizona gubernatorial election, which pitted Kari Lake's high-profile election denialist against Democrat Katie Hobbs, remains too close to be held on Sunday, a number of Democratic gubernatorial winners think their victory marks a rejection of election conspiracy theories and far-right extremism.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who won by a landslide against a Trump-backed election detractor, said Sunday she believed her victory marked a rejection of political violence in the state.
"Good people need to call this out and say we will not tolerate this in this country," Whitmer, who was the target of a failed kidnap plot in 2020, told CNN. "And maybe some of that message was sent at this election." This article was written by EDUKASI CAMPUS.