US mid-term elections: Everything you need to know about all-important polls

On 8 November, 2022, the United States will hold its all-important mid-term elections. Up for grabs is the control of US Congress – which the Democrats currently hold by a slender majority – and with it, the rest of Joe Biden’s term as President Of The United States. Here’s everything you need to know about the mid-term polls: Why is it called mid-term elections? Because it takes place in the middle of the president’s term of office. What’s up for grabs? The US Congress comprises of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Members to the House, which has 435 seats, serve two-year terms. Members of the Senate, which has 100 seats, serve six-year terms. Thus, every mid-term election sees all House seats up for grabs and a third of Senate seats in play. Why is this important? Because the Democrats’ hold on Congress is razor-thin. In the House, Democrats hold a 220-209 edge over the Republicans. [caption id=“attachment_8733181” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Kamala Harris. Reuters[/caption] The Senate has an even 50-50 split with Vice-President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker tilting the advantage for the Democrats. What’s the forecast? For Democrats? Pain, at least in the House of Representatives. History shows that the party in power usually suffers reverses in the House during mid-terms. Recall a shaken Barack Obama speaking about the 2010 ‘shellacking’ Democrats received (63 seats) after his historic 2008 victory. In 2018, under Donald Trump, the Republicans suffered a chastening loss of 41 seats. Both times the party in charge was removed from power. Election forecasters such as the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and the University of Virginia Center for Politics all view Republicans as favourites to win the House, based on the political environment and factors such as geography and demographics. David Wasserman, an election analyst with the Cook Political Report, said the likely outcome for House Democrats is somewhere between “terrible” and “horrific” with the latter being the loss of more than 30 seats. In the Senate, the Democrats have a chance at keeping the chamber with incumbents in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada poised to retain their seats, while Republicans could lose Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, both states that chose Biden over Trump in the 2020 polls. And if that happened? [caption id=“attachment_10752161” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] US President Joe Biden. AP[/caption] A Republican House could derail Biden’s legislative agenda, reduce him to a ‘lame duck’ president and subject him to a slew of inquiries. A Republican-controlled Senate could jam up Biden’s picks for judges of all courts (including the Supreme Court) and nominees to important government offices. Will the polls be a reflection on Biden? Historically, the mid-terms are a referendum on the serving president. Unfortunately for Democrats, Biden at the moment is struggling. More than half of the country – 53 per cent - disapproves of his performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted 25-26 April. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said the country is headed in the wrong direction, including 40 per cent of Democrats and 54 per cent of voters who call themselves independent. Other opinion polls, such as Gallup, show similar levels of disapproval. In fact, Biden is more unpopular than Obama was in 2010 when Democrats were swamped in the House elections. Democratic operatives fear Biden’s unpopularity may depress turnout among their voters, while motivating Republicans to come out with more enthusiasm. Trump also is not on the ballot. But he is backing a slate of like-minded candidates with an eye toward remaining the de facto leader of his party and another possible White House bid in 2024. What happens after the mid-terms? It’s too early to say. But one thing is for sure – preparations for the 2024 campaign will kick-off straightaway. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .