November 6, the highly anticipated 2018 US midterm election will kick off. Many people don’t know much about the election during the presidency. What will it elect? Why is it so important? What other things are worth our attention?
What is the midterm election
According to US Constitution , the US presidential election is held every four years and the congressional election is held every two years. Then there will inevitably be a congressional election during the presidential term, and this election is called the midterm election.
When will the midterm election be held
The midterm election will be the first Tuesday of November of that year. The 2018 midterm elections will be November 6.
What to elect in the midterm elections
midterm elections mainly elect new U.S. congressmen, not presidents. The U.S. Congress is the highest legislative body of the country, consisting of Senate and House of Representatives . The midterm elections will elect members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be re-elected on that day, and 35 of all 100 seats in the Senate will compete this year (33 of which need to be re-elected by-election for the statutory process, and two seats need to be special by-election due to illness or retirement of a former official).
In addition to electing most members of Congress, the midterm elections will also hold legislative and executive elections held by governors, states and counties. However, compared with the elections in the Senate and House of Representatives, the overall impact is not large, so it has received less attention.
Meaning of the midterm elections
The essence of the midterm elections is that the Democrats and Republicans compete for control of Congress. Since the US Congress is the highest legislative body of the country, which party is located can occupy more seats in Congress, which side will have a better advantage.
For example, the Republican Party currently occupies more seats in both houses of Congress, which has become an important guarantee for the smooth implementation of Trump's policy. After the midterm elections, whether the Republican Party can continue to maintain such advantages will be crucial to whether Trump can successfully implement various policies in the second half of his term and thus accumulate resources for the 2020 presidential election.
Election Analysis
Senate members have a total of 100 seats, currently the Republican Party accounts for 51 seats and the Democratic Party accounts for 49 seats (2 of which are pro-Democratic independent parties). 35 seats in the 2018 midterm elections need to be re-elected. Among the seats that need to be re-elected, the Republican Party holds 9 seats and the Democratic Party holds 26 seats, which means that to maintain the status of Majority Party , the Republican Party only needs to win another 9 seats, which is relatively less pressure.
House of Representatives members have a total of 435 seats. Currently, the Republican Party holds 237 seats, the Democratic Party holds 193 seats, and 5 seats are vacant. All seats in the House of Representatives need to be re-elected in this midterm election. Therefore, which side wants to win the House of Representatives, it needs to obtain at least 218 seats.
According to the polls released by mainstream American media in mid-October, the Democratic Party’s public support rate in the House of Representatives is higher than that of the Republican Party.
Trump's current low approval rating may also affect people's support for Republican candidates and motivate Democrats. Once the Democrats take the House, they will have the right to refuse to implement many of the president's plans, and many of Trump's actions will be restricted and postponed.
Tips: What is " The Battle of Donkey Elephant "
Because The party emblem of the American Republican Party is an elephant, and the party emblem of the Democratic Party is a donkey, so every time the two parties confront the election, it is called the "Donkey Elephant Battle" or "Donkey Elephant Race". The Democratic Party and the Republican Party use donkey and elephant as their own symbols respectively, which originated from the satirical cartoons of German-American political cartoonist Toms Nast. Who will win the "donkey and elephant battle" in this midterm election? The answer is about to be revealed!
