US: Senate split 50-50, mid-term elections will determine who will rule

Two years after the presidential election, the November 8 midterm elections offer voters an opportunity to change the composition of Congress - which is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The positions of the governors of the various states are also up for election.

The main issues: the right to abortion, immigration and inflation

Tali Goldstein

10/23/2022

Sunday, October 23, 2022, 3:31 p.m. Updated: 4:21 p.m.

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The next major national election in the United States is the November 8th midterm elections.

President Joe Biden is not up for election, but the people elected to Congress, as well as to state and local public offices, will have a major impact on what Biden can accomplish by the end of his first term, and on the lives of American citizens in general.

Two years after the presidential election, the midterm elections offer voters a chance to go to the polls and change the composition of Congress - which is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Historically, the president's party (now the Democratic Party) loses seats in Congress in these elections.

President Joe Biden, leader of the Democratic Party (Photo: Reuters)

The current composition of the Senate (photo: official website, Twitter)

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, because legislators are elected for two-year terms.

The seats in the House of Representatives are divided into states based on the size of the population.

The largest states receive the most seats: California (53), Texas (36), Florida (27), New York (27), Illinois (18), Pennsylvania (18) and Ohio (16).

Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming are the most states - and they only have one seat in the House of Representatives.

In the Senate, one-third of the hundred seats are up for election in November, because senators are elected for six-year terms.

Each state has two senators, regardless of size.

The midterm elections also affect local governments, and governors are also up for election, in addition to mayors, state parliaments, school boards and local councils.

Democrats now hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, with 220 lawmakers compared to 212 Republicans.

The midterm elections are especially important because they will determine who will control the House of Representatives, and if the Democrats will lose control to the Republicans.

In the Senate, 35 seats out of 100 are up for election: 12 Democrats and 23 Republicans.

Democrats and Republicans now share the Senate seats 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris' vote tipping the scales in Democrats' favor.

The main issues in this year's election: inflation, the price of gas, abortion, gun control and immigration.

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Dr. Mehmet Oz, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

John Peterman, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

The ten most important Senate races

Pennsylvania

One of the most competitive and important races was held in Pennsylvania between Democrat Lt. Gov. John Peterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz. The two are competing for a Senate seat that opened up with the retirement of Republican Senator Pat Toomey.

Peterman, a progressive Democrat, is leading Oz in the polls - although in May he passed A stroke that forced him to stay at home for months. Oz is a millionaire TV star and the running mate of Donald Trump. , and was a regular guest on Oprah Winfrey's show.

He and Trump have been friends for nearly 20 years.

Oz's campaign has benefited from tens of millions of dollars in donations.

Pennsylvania is a swing state where elections are usually close.

In 2020, Biden beat Trump in the state by less than 1.2%.

Raphael Warnock, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Herschel Walker, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Georgia

's incumbent Democratic senator, Raphael Warnock, is running a close battle against his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker, a former football star and businessman who has received Trump's support.

Warnock, a Baptist pastor, won the 2021 election for the Senate seat, helping the Democrats gain a slight advantage in the caucuses.

Now he is fighting to complete a full term in the swing state.

He emphasizes his support for the right to abortion in contrast to his opponent.

Walker's race has been marred by scandal so far.

He was forced to discover that he had more children than he admitted.

In addition, a former girlfriend accused Walker, a staunch anti-abortionist, of paying for an abortion in 2009 and pressuring her to have another abortion two years later.

He denies the allegations.

Polls show that the two candidates are close, with a slight advantage for Warnock.

Biden did beat Trump in Georgia in the 2020 election, but according to an updated poll, the state's voters are leaning toward the Republican Party.

Ron Johnson, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Mandela Barnes, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Wisconsin

Democrats want to defeat Senator Ron Johnson and accuse him of involvement in Trump's attempt to flip the 2020 election.

The Democratic lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, supports the right to abortion and emphasizes Johnson's support for the abortion ban.

The Republican senator said that Barnes is a "dangerous liberal".

Johnson was first elected to the Senate in 2010.

He supports toughening up law enforcement and accuses Barnes of being too soft on crime.

President Biden won the 2020 Wisconsin election by less than 1%.

Tim Ryan, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

JD

Vance, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Ohio

Ohio, a swing state with no clear ideological leaning, has chosen the Republican Party in recent years.

Now, Republican Sen. Robert Portman is expected to retire at the end of the year, and Democrats see an opportunity to win support back to their side.

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan - who previously ran in the Democratic primary for the 2020 presidential election - is fighting J.D.

Vance, venture capitalist and author.

Ryan presents himself as a supporter of workers and against unfair trade agreements.

Vance describes himself as a "conservative outsider," emphasizing his humble background and the fact that he was born and raised in Ohio.

He criticizes the Democrats' immigration and spending policies.

He has been criticized for promoting the racist "Great Replacement Theory", which holds that the non-white population is taking over the white population.

Trump won the state in 2020 by more than 8%.

Catherine Cortez Masto, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Adam Laxlet, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Former Nevada

Attorney General Adam Laxalt is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Mesto in a close race.

Lexalt focuses on inflation and accuses Biden of a "wasting campaign."

Mesto - the first Latina elected to the US Senate in 2016 - promised to protect the right to abortion.

Biden won in 2020 in Nevada by 2.4%.

Marco Rubio, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Val Demings, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Florida

Congresswoman Val Demings, former Orlando police chief, is running against Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

Republican candidates have managed to rake in narrow victories in Florida in recent years.

Florida is also home to the likely leading Republican candidates in 2024 — Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for office again in the midterm elections.

After Hurricane Ian, Demings began emphasizing the fight against climate change.

Rubio said that she is a "dangerous extremist".

Trump defeated Biden by 3.4% in Florida in 2020.

Mark Kelly, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Blake Masters, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Arizona

venture capital entrepreneur, Blake Masters, is trying to oust Mark Kelly, the Democratic senator, as part of the Republicans' attempt to make a political comeback in Arizona. In recent years, Arizona has turned from a traditionally conservative state into a swing state.

Kelly, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and former astronaut -- elected in 2020 to continue the tenure of the late John McCain -- has made protecting abortion rights a central issue in his campaign.

Masters highlights "illegal immigration" in the state that borders Mexico, and blames Kelly and Biden for the amount of illegal immigrants entering Arizona this year.

Kelly is also the husband of former congresswoman Gabby Gifford, who survived a 2011 mass shooting and supports gun control.

Biden won Arizona in 2020 by 0.3%.

Michael Bennett, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Joe O'Dea, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

Colorado

In the liberal state where Biden defeated Trump by more than 13% two years ago, incumbent Democrat Michael Bennett is running against Joe O'Dea, a businessman who is lagging slightly in the polls.

Bennett - who was first elected to the Senate in 2009 - emphasizes his independence and presents himself as a lawyer who fights poverty.

O'Dee made inflation and public safety the most important issue in his campaign.

He blames the Democrats for the rising cost of living.

Maggie Hassan, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Don Boldock, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

New Hampshire

's Donald Bolduc, a former general backed by Trump, is trying to defeat Sen. Maggie Hassan in the liberal state.

According to the polls, Hasan leads by a narrow margin.

Bolduc focuses on economics and immigration.

Hassan, a first-term senator, emphasizes the protection of the right to abortion.

She accuses her opponent of being an "extremist" and of supporting Trump's attempt to flip the 2020 election.

Cheri Beasley, Democrat (photo: official website, Twitter)

Ted Budd, Republican (photo: official website, Twitter)

North Carolina

Retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr is giving Democrats a chance to flip the seat, a state Trump won in 2020 by a narrow margin.

Cheri Beasley, a former state judge, is facing Republican Congressman Ted Budd in the race to replace Barr.

According to the polls, it is a close race.

Budd emphasizes the economy and inflation but also accuses Beasley of being too soft on crime, given her past as a public defender.

Beasley called Budd's vote in the House of Representatives against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election "dangerous" and criticized his opposition to abortion.

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