Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives by sweeping the midterm elections in what many hoped would be a red wave of victories but instead turned out to be yet another ruse.
Nevertheless, the party eventually won its crucial 218th seat in the lower house of Congress, wresting control from Democrats and setting the stage for a showdown with Joe Biden over the next two years of his presidency.
The result would mean the end of Democrat Nancy Pelosi's illustrious tenure as House speaker and likely pass the speaker's gavel to Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who has announced his intention to take the post.
Control of the House is crucial because it will allow Republicans to launch an array of congressional probes, from Biden's unexpected withdrawal from Afghanistan to more overtly political investigations into government actions during the coronavirus pandemic and the business activities of Biden's son Hunter.
The Republican-run House could be a tricky affair because its predicted slim majority means it will only take a handful of rebels to enact any legislation – effectively handing great power to nearly every member. With stalwart figures on the Republican right like Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene, this can be a recipe for chaos and the promotion of extremist beliefs and actions.
Biden and his team went into Election Day expecting a blowout from voters angry at high inflation that has created misery for millions of Americans struggling with rising bills and prices. Republicans doubled down on this by campaigning on the fear of violent crime and portraying Democrats as far-left politicians out of touch with voter concerns.
But Democrats fought back, pointing to the extremist nature of many Republican politicians, particularly the cadre of far-right figures backed by Donald Trump, and warning of threats to the US democracy they represented. They were also buoyed by the ongoing backlash over the loss of federal abortion rights, taken away by a conservative-dominated Supreme Court.
The result was a shock: Democrats held on to large swaths of the country, and in some parts - such as Florida - Republicans won, while in many other parts their candidates lost. High-profile Trump-backed candidates such as Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano lost their races in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Republicans fared poorly in the Senate. Democrats retained control of the upper chamber after their incumbent senator was projected as the winner in Nevada on Saturday after election night. The remaining seat up for grabs in Georgia will be decided in a runoff in early December between incumbent Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, after they did not exceed 50% of the vote.
If Warnock wins, Democrats will enjoy a one-seat majority, 51-50, in the 100-seat Senate, a small but significant improvement on the current 50-50 balance that would continue if Walker wins, continuing the Kamala Harris tie-in tradition of vice president as Senate president. Breaker for Democrats in role.
Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives by sweeping the midterm elections in what many hoped would be a red wave of victories but instead turned out to be yet another ruse.
Nevertheless, the party eventually won its crucial 218th seat in the lower house of Congress, wresting control from Democrats and setting the stage for a showdown with Joe Biden over the next two years of his presidency.
The result would mean the end of Democrat Nancy Pelosi's illustrious tenure as House speaker and likely pass the speaker's gavel to Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, who has announced his intention to take the post.
Control of the House is crucial because it will allow Republicans to launch an array of congressional probes, from Biden's unexpected withdrawal from Afghanistan to more overtly political investigations into government actions during the coronavirus pandemic and the business activities of Biden's son Hunter.
The Republican-run House could be a tricky affair because its predicted slim majority means it will only take a handful of rebels to enact any legislation – effectively handing great power to nearly every member. With stalwart figures on the Republican right like Georgia's Marjorie Taylor Greene, this can be a recipe for chaos and the promotion of extremist beliefs and actions.
Biden and his team went into Election Day expecting a blowout from voters angry at high inflation that has created misery for millions of Americans struggling with rising bills and prices. Republicans doubled down on this by campaigning on the fear of violent crime and portraying Democrats as far-left politicians out of touch with voter concerns.
But Democrats fought back, pointing to the extremist nature of many Republican politicians, particularly the cadre of far-right figures backed by Donald Trump, and warning of threats to the US democracy they represented. They were also buoyed by the ongoing backlash over the loss of federal abortion rights, taken away by a conservative-dominated Supreme Court.
The result was a shock: Democrats held on to large swaths of the country, and in some parts - such as Florida - Republicans won, while in many other parts their candidates lost. High-profile Trump-backed candidates such as Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano lost their races in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, Republicans fared poorly in the Senate. Democrats retained control of the upper chamber after their incumbent senator was projected as the winner in Nevada on Saturday after election night. The remaining seat up for grabs in Georgia will be decided in a runoff in early December between incumbent Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, after they did not exceed 50% of the vote.
If Warnock wins, Democrats will enjoy a one-seat majority, 51-50, in the 100-seat Senate, a small but significant improvement on the current 50-50 balance that would continue if Walker wins, continuing the Kamala Harris tie-in tradition of vice president as Senate president. Breaker for Democrats in role.
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