Chris Lange, FISM News
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Voters head to the polls today to cast their ballots in this year’s highly-charged midterm elections to determine who will control Congress. All 435 House seats are up for grabs, along with 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships.
This year’s results could have a major impact on the next two years of Biden’s presidency, as it has the potential to reshape U.S. policy on everything from border security to government spending.
As voters go to the polls, Biden’s approval ratings are hitting new lows and each party is seeking to frame the election in a different light. Democrats contend that this year’s general election has the potential to usher in the death rattle of democracy, should the GOP take control of Congress, while Republican leaders have said that Americans are fed up with inflation, open borders, and soaring crime and that they will vote accordingly.
According to a News Nation poll from last week, inflation overwhelmingly remains the largest issue on voters’ minds, with 44% of respondents saying it is the top issue. Those polled gave an 8-point advantage to Republicans when asked which party they would trust more to deal with inflation moving forward.
Abortion was the second most important issue to voters, with 17% saying it was their top issue. The highly emotional topic is one that voters in five states will have the ability to directly impact today. Proposed constitutional amendments in California, Michigan, and Vermont would establish a right to abortion, while a proposed change in Kentucky would state that its constitution doesn’t protect that right. In Montana, voters will weigh in on whether to require medical treatment for an infant that survives an attempted pregnancy termination.
Throughout the election cycle, Biden has sought to frame the midterms in terms of protecting the freedoms of democracy, continually pointing back to the Jan. 6 riots as supposed proof that Republicans are seeking to subvert the will of the people. During his final pre-election rally of the midterm campaign season, President Biden ramped up his fear tactic even more telling a Maryland audience: “We know in our bones that our democracy is at risk. I want you to know, we’ll meet this moment.”
Democrats have, perhaps, their best chance of flipping a GOP-held governor’s seat in The Old Line State, with Democratic candidate Wes Moore holding a double-digit polling advantage over Republican Dan Cox.
Later in the evening, Biden acknowledged, for the first time, that Democrats may lose their majority in the House, though he remained more bullish about his party’s chances of retaining Congress’s upper chamber.
“I think we’ll win the Senate. I think the House is tougher,” Biden told reporters upon his return to the White House.
Speaking at a Democratic National Committee event earlier in the Day, the president said, “Look, if we’re able to hold on, we’re going to be in incredible shape. Imagine what we can do in a second term if we maintain control. I know that sounds like a very high expectation, but I think — anyway, I’m optimistic.”
In Ohio, former President Trump endorsed multiple GOP candidates across the country in his final midterm campaign speech, adding that he will make a “very big announcement” on Nov. 15 – the date on which many believe Trump will announce his intention to run for president again in 2024. “We will be a great nation again,” he said.
More than 42 million Americans had already voted as of Monday, either by mail or at in-person early voting centers. Officials have been cautioning that voters in some states may have to wait days or even weeks before all of the ballots are counted. Major media outlets did not officially call the 2020 presidential election until days after voting closed in a race that featured an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots, particularly among Democratic voters, according to a FiveThirtyEight report.
Voters in Georgia may have the longest wait, in terms of a closely watched Senate race that is likely to head into a December runoff election. Republican candidate Herschel Walker now leads Democratic incumbent Warnock by 3.2 points, according to a Trafalgar poll released Monday. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, a runoff is automatically triggered under Georgia law.
The University of Virginia Center for Politics’s Sabato’s Crystal Ball, in its final midterm assessment, forecasted Republicans to take the House 237-198, with a net gain of 24 seats; and the Senate, 51-49, with a GOP net gain of one seat. Republicans are also favored in governorship races 29-21, representing a net gain of one.
Polls are now open and specific information on individual candidates’ views can be found here.
This article was partially informed by Axios, The Associated Press, and The Hill reports.