Things got really exciting again in the race for a majority in the US Senate. Late Saturday night (local time) it was decided: A victory in the state of Nevada landed Democrats the crucial Senate seat of 50.
Even a second-round defeat in Georgia can no longer hurt Democrats – thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris (58) taking the decisive vote.
“Divided government” very likely
This is a big win for US President Joe Biden (79). Surprisingly, he comes out of the midterm elections feeling strengthened. Due to Biden’s poor poll numbers, many political pundits predicted a crash landing for Democrats and a resounding victory for Republicans.
At the moment, however, it is still unclear in the House of Representatives which party will win the 218 seats required for a majority. Many races are so close that the counting takes a long time. “It currently looks like the Democrats in the Senate and the Republicans in the House of Representatives will have the majority,” US expert Claudia Brühwiler, 40, told Blick.
When control of executive and legislative power is shared between the two political parties, Brühwiler speaks of “shared government”. Such a situation would mean Republicans could block Biden’s proposed legislation.
“Even if the Democrats probably won’t have full control over both houses of Congress in the future, the Senate majority is still very valuable,” Brühwiler said. Nominations, for example for federal judges or cabinet members, can be pushed through more easily. The Democrats will not be completely powerless after the loss of the House of Representatives.
Republicans won’t stop military aid
How will the election results affect military aid to Ukraine? In the run-up to the midterms, Republican congressman and minority leader in the House Kevin McCarthy, 57, caused a stir when he said that with a Republican majority there would be “no more blank checks” for Ukraine. McCarthy is the favorite to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
However, Claudia Brühwiler does not believe that the current situation will change. “Republicans will not stop military aid, mainly because they do not want to risk being blamed for a possible defeat of Ukraine.” But that doesn’t mean they just agree with what Biden is serving them. “Republicans could use the aid money as a bargaining chip for the next budget negotiations to stifle some of Biden’s concessions.”
Another question is whether Republicans can retaliate against the two impeachment proceedings against ex-President Donald Trump (76). “I can certainly imagine that,” says Brühwiler. “However, I don’t think they will attack Biden directly.”
It would likely affect people close to Biden, who could then be investigated. Biden’s son Hunter (52), for example, has long been a popular target in conservative circles. (ceded)