New Delhi: Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto won re-election, Edison Research projected on Saturday, in Nevada, defeating her Republican challenger, Adam Laxalt. The win in Nevada gave the Democrats 50 seats to clinch the party’s control of the chamber for the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency, according to the US news reports.
Upon gaining a majority in the US Senate even before the Georgia runoff to be held next month on December 6, US President Biden said that the Democrats’ unexpected midterm election successes sent him into crunch talks with China’s Xi Jinping in a stronger position. "I feel good and I'm looking forward to the next couple years," Biden said in Phnom Penh on the eve of his meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia, as reported by news agency AFP.
"I know I'm coming in stronger," Biden added.
Control Of House Remains Undecided
Republicans had high hopes of wresting back control of Congress in the midterm elections which normally favour the party out of power, but Democrats' hold on the Senate dealt a setback to those plans. In the midterm elections, Cortez Masto, the first Latina in the Senate, was seen as the most vulnerable Democratic senator, and the Republican Party had high expectations of flipping the seat. Cortez Masto was able to win re-election despite a surge in spending on attack advertising from national GOP groups.
Former two-term attorney general Cortez Masto focused her Senate campaign on the increasing threat to abortion access nationwide and worked to court the state’s Spanish-speaking residents and hourly wage earners, pointing out her support of a permanent pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers” and regularly visiting union halls and workers’ groups.
It was still unknown which party will hold the majority in the US House of Representatives for the next two years, which is contesting for all 435 seats. Republicans continued to have an edge, but returns were still flowing in for several races, including many in liberal-leaning California.
It could take several days or more before the outcome of enough House races is known to determine party control of that 435-seat chamber.
Following Democratic Senator Mark Kelly's victory in Arizona late on Friday, Masto's victory means that Democrats will have at least 50 of the 100 Senate seats, with Vice President Kamala Harris having the power to break ties. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. The newly elected Senate will be sworn in on Jan 3, 2023.
What Are The Midterms?
Every two years after a presidential election, the midterms take place, where it gets decided who among the two chambers of the Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, will get the majority as well as whether the president will get any new policies passed or if the opposition will be able to block the agenda.
Key Issues In US Midterms 2022
The Republicans focussed more on the struggling economy of the country with the high inflation rate and the rising cost of living while the Democrats hoped for support in their defence of reproduction rights and democratic institutions.
Immigration is also one of the major aspects that will have an impact on the outcome since Republicans have strongly voiced their opinions against immigration throughout the midterm campaign, blaming Democrats for allowing large numbers of asylum seekers to arrive at the US’s southern border with Mexico.
Majorly, topics involving the economy, abortion, immigration, and democracy will decide the outcome of the election.