Poll results may cripple Biden, turbocharge Trump for WH bid

Dems’ Loss Of House Majority Likely Certain, But Hope Alive For Senate Win

- Chidanand Rajghatta

Washington: Americans trooped to polling stations on Tuesday for voting in midterm elections, with projected results expected to cripple Democrats and turbocharge a Donald Trump bid for a second White House term in 2024.

At the best of times, sitting presidents fear midterm results given voters’ penchant for checking White House power by strengthening the opposition. Only thrice in modern American history (1934, 1998, and 2002) has the presidential party gained seats in Congress in midterm elections when the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate goes to polls. Also at stake are the governorships in 36 states and a host of downballot offices.

Midterm elections are also seen as a referendum on the president. Pre-poll surveys indicate President Joe Biden, whose party is in control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, may not be able to pull off what Presidents Roosevelt, Clinton, and George Bush did. The Democrats’ loss of its current five-vote majority in the 435-member House is considered a certainly, with the most optimistic forecast projecting a 10-12 seat loss, and the most pessimistic projecting a 30-40 seat rout. Losing the Senate, currently tied at 50-50, is less of a certainty.