Americans are set to vote in the pivotal US midterm elections.What to Look for on Election Day – Nationwide

After months of primaries, campaigns, and fundraising pleas, the midterm elections that will determine the balance of power in Washington and the state capitals are finally here.

Republicans struggle to overcome pervasive concerns about the economy, crime, and President Joe Biden’s leadership, while a massive red snapper comes as anxious Democrats defend a small majority in Congress. Democrats are hoping the backlash against the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade will save them.

The political environment has provided an unusually large playing field as bold Republicans are putting pressure on Democratic strongholds such as New York, California, New Mexico and Washington state. Still, marquee races are taking place in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all of which could help determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Due to the close competition and long vote count, it may take days or weeks for some major races to know the final results.

What we see on Election Day:

All signs point to the Republicans posting substantial gains on Tuesday. However, it is not yet known whether it is a red ripple or a tsunami.

Voters are overwhelmingly pessimistic about the direction of the country as inflation soars and political divisions explode. increase.

For more than a century, the party that occupies the White House has suffered heavy losses in nearly every president’s first midterm election. The exception was the Great Depression of 1934. 1998 trying to impeach Bill Clinton. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2002.

Democrats initially hoped that the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish abortion rights might be enough to disrupt the historical trend, or at least limit its losses.

Operatives from both parties expect Republicans to win a majority in the House, which would require a net gain of five seats. But with a big wave, Republicans could win her 25+ seats. Sensing an opportunity, Republican groups invested millions of dollars in Democratic-leaning neighborhoods in California, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania on the final day of the election.

The battle for the Senate majority has become more competitive. If the Republicans win even one of his seats, they will control the Senate.

Democrats are fighting to protect vulnerable incumbents in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire, but Republicans believe they are just around the corner in Colorado and Washington. Somewhat hampered by flawed candidates in Arizona, Georgia and New Hampshire, backed by former President Trump.

Pennsylvania is a great opportunity for Democrats to take out Republicans, and North Carolina and Wisconsin are also closely contested.

At the same time, election campaigns for statewide officers such as governor and secretary of state are looming larger than usual. In blue states such as Oregon and New Mexico, the political environment has given Republicans confidence in their gubernatorial races.

Democrats everywhere could struggle if a massive red wave materializes.

After the Supreme Court dismissed the Roe v. Wade case in June, Republicans, including Trump, were vocal about fears the decision would spark a backlash against Republican candidates who oppose abortion rights. And in recent months, there have been signs that voters, especially suburban women and younger voters, have rebounded and are ready to vote Democrats on November 8.

But now, more than four months after the ruling, abortion’s effectiveness may be waning.

Democratic candidates have shifted their message at least somewhat in recent weeks away from abortion and in favor of the economy, Social Security and Medicare. And some elected officials, including Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (independent), have warned that Democrats are relying too much on abortion rights as a provocative issue.

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The issue is particularly important in boosting suburban women, the group that opposed Trump’s Republican Party in 2020, after Trump stepped down when the Republican Party shifted its focus to pandemic restrictions and the economy. It seemed to go backwards.

Democrats tried to improve their outreach to Latinos in 2020.

Both parties have been particularly focused on the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas, home to a large Latinx community, where the Biden administration is struggling to address problems along the U.S.-Mexico border. Republicans believe they can win up to three seats in the House, once home to the Democratic Party.

Republicans are also bullish on their position in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which has 1.5 million Latinos with the right to vote, and has been a Democratic stronghold for the past two decades. Republicans made big gains in the last presidential election.

If the Democrats lose Miami-Dade, they effectively lose their way to winning statewide contests, including the presidential election.

While the Latino vote will likely dictate results in other states, Democrat Catherine Cortez Mast, the country’s first Latino senator, is caught in a tight race in Arizona and Nevada. there is

Trump remains the dominant force in the Republican Party, but Tuesday’s race will test his strength among a wider constituency.

Of course, he’s not on the ballot, but dozens of Trump-backed candidates are. They include some controversial picks that beat out the alternatives favored by the party’s founding.

If Trump’s high-profile supporters, who are considering a 2024 presidential election that could start shortly after the midterm elections, struggle, it will put his political power into question.

In Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is struggling in polls with Democrat Josh Shapiro. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s Senate pick, is in a tight race with Democrat John Fetterman. In Arizona, Gubernatorial Candidate Kari Lake and Senate Candidate Blake Masters stand to win after promoting Trump’s stolen 2020 election lie.

Other Trump supporters to watch: Ohio senatorial candidate JD Vance, North Carolina senatorial candidate Ted Budd, Michigan gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin.

The 2022 midterm elections, big and small, will help shape the 2024 election.

The worst night for Democrats could undermine Biden’s rationale for a second term. And Trump will almost certainly take the Republican sweep as evidence of his own political power ahead of his third run in the White House.

Advocates of good government are particularly concerned about the dozens of election naysayers running for state office in several presidential battlegrounds.

In Nevada, Republican Jim Marchant is running for Secretary of State, the state’s elections official. Marchant is head of the United States Secretary of State Coalition, a group of Trump supporters who falsely say the 2020 election was plagued by voter fraud.

It’s the same in Arizona and Michigan, where fellow coalition members Mark Finkem and Christina Karamo are running for Secretary of State. Also in Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has spoken out against the election and, if he wins, would have the power to appoint his own chief elections officer.

Election management aside, other statewide candidates could use Tuesday’s strong results to gain an advantage in the 2024 ticket.

Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, Lake, is already considered a potential vice-presidential candidate for Trump. And in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for re-election on Tuesday, is also considering running for president in 2024, whether Trump does or not.

It may take days or weeks for the results of some major contests to be finalized.

There are many reasons.

Georgia requires a candidate to receive at least 50% of the vote to win outright. Otherwise, the election will advance him to a runoff vote on December 6th. Strategists on both sides believe that state senatorial elections, in particular, could do just that.

In other states, the process of tallying ballots can be lengthy and complicated, especially as mail-in ballots become more common.

For example, Arizona law requires all ballots to be returned by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, but officials have 20 days to complete the ballot. In Nevada, if a vote-by-mail ballot arrives late, the county will count it within his four days, and the voter will be given an additional two days to ensure there are no errors or missing information on the mail-in ballot in the envelope. I will fix it if there is.

Battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are not allowed to begin validating vote-by-mail ballots until Election Day. Nineteen states have a grace period to receive your ballot in the mail by Election Day. Such ballots in California can be received up to seven days later.

This may take some time.