A still uncertain landscape emerged in the aftermath of the mid-term elections. The Republicans still gripped their bet: conquer the majority in the chamber, even in the Senate. But the way to this alternation tightened at high speed.
by Piotr smolar (Washington, correspondent)
The difference between a victory and a defeat sometimes is due to the perspective, and not only to the raw figures. Contrast between expectations and results. A still uncertain landscape emerged in the American night on Wednesday, November 9, the day after the mid-term elections. The Republicans still gripped their bet: conquer the majority in the House of Representatives, even in the Senate. But the way towards this alternation tightened at high speed, while the Democrats did not return from their good fortune. Over the hours, while the partial results followed one another on the screens, a mirage dissipated: that of a massive sanction vote against the ruling party and President Joe Biden. It was “certainly not a republican wave, that’s damn sure,” said Republican senator Lindsey Graham (Caroline-du-Sud), on the NBC channel.
The Republicans needed a gain of at least five seats in the House of Representatives. They still seemed able to obtain the majority, above the 218 seats bar, with a margin much lower than what the Grand Old Party (GOP) frames. But the very fact that an uncertainty settled on Tuesday evening, about this conquest testified to a dark evening for the party. “It is clear that we are going to take over the room,” said Kevin McCarthy, the republican leader, at 2 am. He spoke of the need to draw a “new direction” for the country, speaking of fridge to fill and crime, but without quoting Donald Trump or allegations of fraud.
In the Senate, the Democrats had to win two out of four seats, between Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona, in order to maintain their current majority, at 50-50, with a decisive voice for the vice-president , Kamala Harris. This bet seemed quite feasible. The victory of Republican J. D. Vance, in Ohio, was overshadowed by the conquest of Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania, one of the events of the evening. This state alone represented nearly $ 340 million in electoral spending (out of a total amount of 16.4 billion), according to the Opensecret site. In Georgia, the outgoing senator Raphael Warnock and the Republican Herschel Walker were at the elbow, just under the fateful bar of the 50 %. In this case, a second round would take place in early December.
completely different strategies
The provisional results of these midterms were breaking, on Tuesday evening, several received ideas. The first was that of a lesser democratic mobilization compared to the Republicans. The second was that of a massive flight from so -called “undecided” or “independent” voters to the GOP. The third was that of an absolute domination of the theme of inflation and a exhaustion of anger and commitment to abortion, on the left, since the decision of the Supreme Court to suppress this constitutional right , end of June. In reality, these midterms are part of the five by -elections held since August, which had enabled Democrats each time to be better than expected. Their mobilization allowed them to keep positions supposedly threatened. This was the case for Maggie Hassan, re -elected senator from New Hampshire, or Abigail Spanberger, re -elected in Virginia in the Chamber.
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