AMN / WEB DESK
On Tuesday millions of Americans casting their votes in midterm congressional elections that will determine the philosophical shape of Congress and set the tone for the Washington political debate during the second half of Democratic President Joe Biden’s four-year term.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are at stake, and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. More than 42 million people have already cast ballots in early in-person or mail-in voting. Some analysts suggest the total vote in contests across the country could top the 115 million tally in the 2018 midterm elections.
Democrats now narrowly hold control of both chambers, but preelection polling shows Republicans are likely to take hold of the House and possibly the Senate, an outcome that in the past has led to protracted political gridlock when one political party controls Congress, or at least one chamber, and the other party holds the White House, reports VOA.
U.S. political polling site, FiveThirtyEight.com, now gives Republicans a 55% chance of winning the Senate and an 83% likelihood of overcoming Democratic control in the House. It projects Republicans will pick up 13 seats in the House to gain a 225-210 edge and one seat in the Senate to hold a 51-49 advantage come January 2023.
Another polling site, RealClearPolitics.com, is more bullish on Republican chances, predicting the party will gain three Senate seats and 14 to 48 House seats.