“Delicate game”: The Democrats managed to achieve success with this questionable strategy. What is needed for a ceasefire? Unfortunately all too often only bloody battlefields

Counts are still ongoing in many places. Are there still successful midterms for the Democrats?
Claudia Bruhwiler: The Democrats could certainly achieve partial success. Above all, the fact that they captured the Senate seat in Pennsylvania is celebrated by many as a breakthrough. The candidacy of the victorious John Fetterman is a blueprint for how Democrats can re-engage the working class in the future.

How did Jon Fetterman do?
He has a very special attitude. He may be a Harvard graduate, but he feels more comfortable in a hoodie. Although he was somewhat limited in campaign events due to a stroke, voters appreciated his program, which is a mix of progressive and traditional views.

Inflation is high, as are gas prices. Yet there was no “red wave”. Why?
Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said in the summer there was a problem with the quality of the candidates. Moderate candidates, who would have been able to win a majority, lost to the Trumpists in several states. Incidentally, the Democrats had a hand in that too.

How?
Democrats supported the more extreme candidate in several Republican primaries. They bet that Trump-backed candidates would have fewer chances against a Democrat. This is a bit of a tricky game. But in some places it has paid off. For example, in the Pennsylvania governor’s race. Trumpist Douglas Mastiano has clearly failed there. This is what happened in New Hampshire, by the way.

Tell!
There it was long unclear whether the Democrat Meggie Hassan could keep her seat. That’s why your party supported Don Bolduc in the Republican primaries – the somewhat more extreme Republican candidate. Hassan ended up having to battle him and win the Senate race.

Am I understanding correctly: the Democrats were advertising Trumpists?
Yes, exactly. You advertised for them. In it, they also slandered the more moderate Republicans. That’s a bit cynical. There are also different views on this approach within the party: certain Democratic strategists think this is the wrong game.

Can one speak of a clear defeat for the Republicans after the failure of the red wave?
no Republicans are expected to retake the House of Representatives. Thus, power between the White House and Congress is once again shared – this is called a “shared government.” That alone will put a brake on the Joe Biden government.

In some states, Republicans have had some successes…
Yes. I’m thinking, for example, of JD Vance, who won the Ohio Senate election. For a long time there was skepticism about whether he could assert himself. Herschel Walker, a truly special candidate, could also keep the Senate race against Raphael Warnock open. Therefore: A clear defeat of the Republicans would look different.

Republicans are likely to win a wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives. What does that mean?
Republicans need high factional discipline. In the US, this is usually not particularly high. However, the majority in the House of Representatives should be sufficient for a blockade policy.

Dozens of “election deniers” have made it to the House of Representatives. How dangerous is this for American democracy?
That’s sad. It shows that there is a certain decline in democratic culture. But I don’t see that as a threat to democracy. This is black painting. It is more problematic when election deniers are elected as “secretaries of state” in the individual states, who are responsible for controlling and directing the elections. However, I doubt whether these people will actually falsify elections.

Is Trump the big loser of the midterms?
no I don’t think he will feel like a loser. He will probably tell himself that he led the Trumpists to victory in the primaries, but in the end they didn’t take to the streets. But if you don’t look at the midterms from his perspective, you’ll see that Trumpism is no guarantee of success for the candidates. A good example of this is Arizona.

What happened there?
In Arizona, Kari Lake ran for governor. Many call her Trump with lipstick and high heels. Now defeat threatens them. You have to offer people more than just populism. You want political content.

Could the Republican Party Split From Trump?
There has been speculation about this since 2016…

…and it hasn’t happened to this day.
It should be remembered that Trump has the most support among Republicans in polls of potential presidential candidates. After the midterms, however, a new dynamic could emerge. Ron DeSantis should gain even more momentum and he is seen as someone who could defeat Trump in the primaries.

DeSantis won the Florida governor’s race by a wide margin. How do you rate that?
DeSantis was able to develop influence, especially among Hispanics and Latinos. The Democrats have long marketed themselves as the logical party for minorities. That a DeSantis with a hardline on migration issues should get this much support should give Democrats a break. For DeSantis, the election is a great success. They put him on pole position for the 2024 presidential election.

Let’s take another look at the Democrats. Joe Biden turns 81 in the presidential election. Has anyone noticed in the Midterms who could inherit it?
no Until Biden has announced whether he will run again, no one can position himself among the Democrats.

And when can we expect a signal from Biden?
He will also make it dependent on whether Trump is still
once a candidate. Because Biden is still a promising candidate against Trump. If Biden runs again, the Democratic Party will not allow anyone to challenge him in the primary.

And if he no longer participates, are there any favorites for his legacy?
Then the Democratic Party will look around, especially at the governor level. An interesting name is certainly Gavin Newsom from California.

After the midterm elections, can Democrats be confident that they will also win the 2024 presidential election?
No, it’s too early for that. They managed to achieve some respectable successes and it turned out slightly better than they had feared. But we are still in an economic situation with 8% inflation. We do not know how the economy will develop further. We don’t know what else the Supreme Court will decide, and we don’t even know who will act. So much can still happen.