WED, NOVEMBER 07 2018-theG&BJournal-The US Democratic Party took control of the House in a very closely called election Tuesday with as much as 35 seats gained. The Dems required 23 seats to flip the house. The Republicans held on to Senate increasing their majority in the process with key victories in Indiana, Texas and North Dakota.
Family separation, gun laws, healthcare and infrastructure were some of the issues the US electorates spoke to in the Mid-Term elections across the country and in the end it was an overwhelming vote for the Democrats in Congress and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becomes the youngest woman elected to Congress at 29. First two Muslim women were also elected into Congress. Ilhan Omar won her race in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District and former Michigan state Republican Rashida Tlaib won in Michigan’a 13th Congressional District. A record number of first-time women were elected to the Congress with at least 25 winning their seats across the Country. 16 women ran for governorship, a record number too.
The vote ended the rule of the Republicans in the House and ushered in a set of young law makers. Many described the Democratic victory as a ‘’wave’’ propelled by women and a total rejection of the deep divide in the country since the beginning of Donald Trump’s Presidency.
The number of Independent voters who rejected Trump’s policy on family separation went up by as much 12 points. Nancy Pelosi, who is projected to be the new House speaker, said the Democrats victory is about restoring the constitutional checks and balances, delivering healthcare, gun law, infrastructure and criminal justice reforms.
‘’A democratic Congress will work for solutions that brings the house together,’’ Pelosi said.
It was a hugely unpredictable elections and a ‘’stress test’’ for US democracy, its institutions, laws, norms and basic decency under Trump who is largely viewed as divisive. Trump called the elections a ‘’tremendous’’ success for the Republicans in apparent reference to the increased majority of the Republicans in the Senate.
The Democratic control of the House clears the way for them to have subpoena power and many believe they will use it strongly to make life difficult for the Trump administration.
Voters braved storms, technical glitches and long lines to cast their vote. All 435 seats were on the table for re-election. In the Senate 35 of the 100 seats were up for grabs.
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