These Are The 5 Most Exciting Figures In The US Midterms

Neither Donald Trump (76) nor Joe Biden (79) will be at the polls on Nov. 8. Nevertheless, the US midterm elections will seal the political fate of at least one of the two powerful men. About 170 million Americans eligible to vote will be called on Tuesday to fill all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives (the US National Council) and one-third of the 100 seats in the Senate (the US Council of States). A total of 36 states elect their local government leader (“governor”). Polls suggest Democrats could lose their majority in both houses of the National Assembly (“Congress”). President Biden would thus lose much of his decision-making power and would be a “lame duck” for the remaining two years of his term in office. That would have international consequences. This threatens the continuation of US aid to Ukraine. If Republicans lose, it will be a crushing defeat for Trump, who is currently traveling around the country supporting his party’s candidates. These five people are particularly central during the Midterms:

Herschel Walker: No other Senate candidate is as radical as Trump’s darling

Former soccer superstar Herschel Walker (60) is a legend in his home state of Georgia. Walker was once one of America’s best athletes, running the 100 meters in 10.22 seconds, finishing seventh in the two-man bobsleigh at the 1992 Winter Olympics and winning his debut fight in the brutal mixed martial arts (MMA) sport at the age of 47. age . Now Walker also wants to win in the political ring. In the highly competitive state of Georgia, he is competing for the senate seat of Democrat Raphael Warnock (53). If Walker wins, Republicans could gain the upper hand in the small room. The ex-athlete enters the race with a radical anti-abortion policy, despite several ex-partners accusing them of having abortions. Walker is supported from the top: none other than ex-President Donald Trump personally motivated him to participate in the Senate race.

Kari Lake: The ex-Arizona host learns to fear the Democrats

Republican Kari Lake, 53, learned how to win over an audience during her 22 years as a host at KSAZ-TV in Arizona. As a television journalist, she has interviewed both Barack Obama and Donald Trump and voted for both as a citizen. Until Trump’s presidential campaign, the journalist was a convinced Democrat. But now it could become a political bogeyman for the Democrats. Lake is on track to be elected governor of the state of Grand Canyon. As such, she would oversee the conduct of the 2024 presidential election in Arizona, a controversial swing state. That worries Democrats: Lake, who is already said to have presidential ambitions, is a supporter of Trump’s “Big Lie” theory. She claims that Trump is the legitimate president of the United States – not the officially elected Joe Biden.

John Fetterman: Even a stroke can’t stop the Democratic giant

In his hoodies and tattooed, the Pennsylvania giant (203cm) fits out of place in the dressed-up politician crowd. But John Fetterman (53) believes his candidacy for the US Senate: He rose to fame after the US presidential election in 2020, when he vigorously slammed allegations of voter fraud by Trump in his home state of Pennsylvania. Fetterman generally has little time for the rants of the powerful, advocating for the concerns of the “little people”: He wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and declare health insurance a human right. This last concern took on a very personal meaning for him in May: Fetterman suffered a stroke and has been unable to understand the spoken word ever since. During a TV debate this week, he had to read everything his Republican opponent said from a teleprompter. Despite this, he still leads the Senate race.

JD Vance: The Netflix star pays a lot for his political debut

Anyone who has already published an autobiography at the age of 38, which was also filmed by Netflix at the time (“Hillbilly Elegy”, 2020), has either been through a lot – or they just know how to market themselves perfectly. Both probably apply to James David Vance (38). Despite a difficult childhood in impoverished rural Ohio, he fought his way up, served as a soldier in Iraq, and grew rich as an investor. The election campaign for his political debut (he wants to go to Washington as a Republican senator for the industrial state of Ohio) cost him at least $66 million. Vance is getting support from Donald Trump, although before his 2020 political turnaround, the political youngster bitterly fought the ex-president, accusing him of being a liar. But exactly: the recently arch-conservative Republican JD Vance knows how to sell himself – and who can be useful when and for what. If he wins, it could have a decisive impact on the balance of power in the national parliament.

Kamala Harris: The vice president stumbles into insignificance

Kamala Harris (58), the first female vice president in US history, is not on a ballot. In all likelihood, however, the midterms represent a loss of power for the hapless acting number two in the American political fabric: Once the majority in the Senate changes by just one seat (regardless of which direction), Harris loses her “split vote decision”. Whenever the vote ratio in the 50:50 Senate was even, it was up to the Californian to cast the decisive vote. Harris is certainly in danger of disappearing into Washington’s shadow. Her files (migration and electoral reforms) seem to be eluding her: never in recent history have so many migrants stormed across the US-Mexico border (more than 2.3 million this year) – and the inflation-plagued country is not interested in the election debate. This is reflected in Harris’ poll numbers: Only one in three Americans thinks the vice president is doing a good job.