The Midterm Elections aren’t always understood. They are used to elect members of the House and Senate, and they occur every two years. Since members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, all 235 seats are up for grabs. Members of the Senate serve 6 year terms, so ⅓ of those 100 seats are at stake in this midterm. Right now, Republicans have majorities in both houses of Congress. Democrats need to win 24 seats to gain a majority in the House. In some states, candidates are also running for offices such as state congress and governor.
Midterm elections don’t have a direct impact on the President, but they’re often taken as a sign of how public opinion is of the president: if his party or candidates he endorses succeed, then the American people think the president is doing a good job and want to elect people who will support his policies. But if the President’s allies do not succeed in the midterms, it’s a sign that people are not as receptive to the President’s policy goals or do not approve of him.
The 2016 elections sparked an increase in political engagement on both sides of the aisle. When Democrats lost, there were rumors of a “blue wave” rising up to “#Resist.” When Republicans won, they were hailed as the “silent majority,” silent no longer. The Republicans felt they had someone to speak for their interests, someone who presented himself as anti-establishment and who was going to “drain the swamp.” The Democrats believed they had to stop Trump and his party by any means necessary.
President Trump is campaigning for Republican candidates in many states, including North Dakota, Montana, Florida, Missouri, and Indiana. He’s making policy goals that seem aimed to draw support to Republicans: sending troops to the Mexico-US border, threatening to end birthright citizenship. These are the type that will consolidate the Republican base behind them. Many people on both sides are out canvassing, trying to bring out the vote for their candidates.
With this continuing political drama, the Midterms are getting more interest than they do in less controversial Presidential administrations.
The midterms can change the shape of Congress, shifting Democratic and Republican numbers. Though they’re not as dramatic as the Presidential elections, the midterms definitely will have an impact. What that impact will be, only time will tell.