Alexis Guilleux with AFP
modified to
09:02, November 09, 2022
These midterm elections are crucial for Joe Biden, who risks losing the majority in Congress, but also for Donald Trump who wants to take revenge on the “stolen” presidential election. Republicans claimed a first victory in one of the most contested seats in the US Congress on Tuesday, but Democrats still wanted to limit the damage on a night that could decide the political future of Joe Biden and his rival Donald Trump.
Information to remember:
- JD Vance was elected as a Republican senator from Ohio.
- In Massachusetts, Democrat Maura Healey will be the first lesbian to lead a state.
- Democrats win Maryland and Massachusetts and retain New York State.
If the Republicans are on the right track to regain control of the House of Representatives, the first results do not show for the moment this red “wave” announced by Donald Trump. Regarding the Senate, the results are very close in certain key states: Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia.
First slap for Biden, JD Vance elected senator in Ohio
By campaigning hard on inflation, JD Vance, one of the Republican billionaire’s foals, landed the coveted job of senator in Ohio — one of America’s industrial and agricultural strongholds.
Handicapped by a record price hike, Joe Biden could lose control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in these midterm polls traditionally unfavorable to the ruling party, and see his action paralyzed for the next two years.
His predecessor Donald Trump, who vigorously supported a large number of Republican candidates – he was at a meeting Monday evening in Ohio – is banking on the success of his lieutenants to launch himself under the best auspices in the race. in the 2024 presidential election. He promised “a very big announcement” on November 15. The 76-year-old billionaire also wanted to be present during this election night, making a short, relatively disjointed television statement on Tuesday to congratulate himself on the success of some of his many candidates in the various polls.
Democrats win Maryland and Massachusetts and keep New York State
But the Democratic camp was not left empty-handed. He snatched from the conservatives two governorships from the Republicans: in Maryland and Massachusetts, where Maura Healey will be the first lesbian to head a state. Joe Biden called her immediately to congratulate her.
The 79-year-old Democratic leader’s party also saved itself a big scare by retaining control of New York state, where Republicans believed they could unseat Governor Kathy Hochul.
The Democrats won a potentially decisive seat for control of the Senate on Wednesday morning, with the victory of John Fetterman in Pennsylvania against a Trumpist candidate, according to the American channels Fox News and NBC. Bald colossus weakened by a stroke suffered in May, John Fetterman faced the superstar surgeon Mehmet Oz, in one of the most scrutinized duels of the mid-term elections.
Donald Trump’s promised red ‘giant wave’ has yet to materialize
There remains the Congress: the opinion polls predict a large victory for the Republicans in the House, a classic scenario in American politics, where the “midterms” often turn to sanction for the party in the White House. But the red “giant wave” – the color of the Republicans – promised by Donald Trump, had not yet materialized on Tuesday evening, the counting being far from complete.
“It’s certainly not a Republican wave, that’s for sure,” said influential Senator Lindsey Graham, a close friend of the former president, on NBC.
Close game in the Senate
The control of the Senate is all the more uncertain. Everything will depend on a few key states, such as Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania. Far-right Christian Republican Doug Mastriano, close to Donald Trump, was largely beaten, according to media on Tuesday, by centrist Democrat Josh Shapiro for the post of governor of Pennsylvania, a crucial state in the US mid-term elections.
At 58, Mr. Mastriano is one of the most controversial politicians dubbed by Donald Trump: a former military officer, he does not hide his sympathies for groups of white supremacists and followers of flags and monuments to the glory of the Confederates.
As polling stations closed one after the other, and while we waited to see where the American Congress tipped, attention was also focused on the gubernatorial elections. And in particular on Florida, where outgoing Governor Ron DeSantis was triumphantly re-elected.
Rising star of the conservative camp, possible contender for the White House in 2024, he congratulated himself in an offensive speech on having made this southern state, long considered leaning sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, a “promised land ” for the Republicans, where “the + woke + ideology comes to die”. And where outgoing Republican Senator Marco Rubio was also re-elected. “I’m just starting the fight,” the 44-year-old governor promised.
Something to tickle his potential rival for the nomination and another Florida resident … former President Donald Trump.