Trump extols success despite 'blue wave'
Stacey Abrams embraces her family as she walks off the stage after speaking to the crowd of supporters announcing they will wait till the morning for results of the mid-terms election at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 7, 2018.
As the results of the American midterm elections are finalized, it is almost certain that the Democratic Party has retaken the House of Representatives while the Republicans will hold onto the Senate.
Four Senate seats and dozens of House seats are still in contest.
The Democratic and the Republican parties are both expected to expand their advantages in the chamber where they hold a majority.
The Republican Party currently holds 51 seats in the Senate, reaching pre-election levels.
It is highly likely that it will pick up at least one more Senate seat from the states of Montana, Mississippi or Florida, allowing it to build a bigger edge against the Democratic Party in the upper chamber of Congress.
The GOP successfully peeled off at least three vulnerable Democratic seats in the states of Missouri, Indiana and North Dakota, quelling the little if any hope the Democrats had for taking Senate.
But the GOP has also lost a Senate seat representing Nevada to a Democratic challenger.
The Democratic Party has secured 218 seats in the House, and is looking to pick up more seats from the Republicans, allowing itself a comfortable lead over the Republicans.
Some of the states where Democrats finished strongly include Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia.
The Democrats’ success had been widely anticipated by pre-voting polls, though the magnitude of the so-called “blue wave” is yet to be measured.
The split result gave both parties reason to celebrate.
US President Donald Trump tweeted that the election was a “tremendous success,” while the leader of House Democrats Nancy Pelosi pledged to exercise “checks and balances” on the Trump administration.
Regaining control of the lower chamber of Congress gives the Democrats greater sway in legislative issues, as they are expected to undermine policies pushed by the Trump administration, such as Medicare and immigration reform.
On the other hand, the Republicans can confirm government officials such as Supreme Court justices or Cabinet members with more ease thanks to their bolstered Senate majority.
In the 36 gubernatorial races across the country, the Democratic Party flipped multiple states, including Kansas, New Mexico, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin, reaching near equal numbers as the Republicans, which currently hold 33 of the nation’s 50 governorships.
The political polarization in recent years has energized voters in both camps, as early voting numbers and the financial donations to both parties shattered records.
(Xinhua)
