The results of the House of Representatives have begun to arrive in the midterm elections that will determine the political balance in the remaining two years of President Donald Trump's term in the United States.
According to the data of the shared election map updated at 05.47 on November 4, Türkiye time, the Democratic Party won 92 seats and the Republican Party won 51 seats.
At least 218 seats are needed to gain a majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives. While the numerical superiority of the Democrats in the first table draws attention, this does not mean that the majority of the Parliament has changed hands yet.
According to Reuters' election night coverage, Democrats are struggling to end the Republicans' majority in Congress. Republicans, who control the House of Representatives before the elections, need to win races in critical regions to maintain their majority.
NO CHANGE YET
Preliminary results show that Democrats won a Republican-held House seat, while Republicans captured a Democrat-controlled seat.
Thus, in the first announced results, the net seat change between parties is at zero level. However, this balance may change as vote counting continues in many constituencies.
Every new gain by Democrats in regions defended by Republicans is important in the struggle for majority in the lower house of Congress.
THREE CHAIRS CRITICAL
Before the election, Republicans had 218 seats in the House of Representatives and Democrats had 214 seats. There was also one independent lawmaker aligned with Republicans and two open seats.
Due to this distribution, Democrats need to win at least three of the seats held by Republicans to gain the majority. Republicans, on the other hand, are trying to maintain their current advantage.
In the USA, the two houses of Congress undertake different duties. The House of Representatives has important powers in law-making processes, especially the federal budget and expenditures. The Senate also evaluates some of the president's high-level appointments and the approval processes regarding international agreements.
TRUMP'S POWER IS BEING TESTED
The elections are seen as one of the important political tests of President Donald Trump's second term. Republicans aim to maintain majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, while Democrats aim to limit the administration's control over legislation.
According to Reuters, the war with Iran, rising fuel prices and the cost of living were among the decisive agenda items of the election campaign. Dissatisfaction with economic conditions and the decline in Trump's public support were cited as factors affecting the election competition in areas defended by Republicans.
If Democrats win the majority in the House of Representatives, the Trump administration may have to negotiate further with the opposition to pass bills and reach budget compromise.
COUNTING CONTINUES IN CRITICAL REGIONS
The outcome of the elections will be determined in contested electoral districts where two candidates receive close votes, rather than in regions where the parties are strong.
CBS News reported that more than 40 House races were open to competition ahead of the election, with 17 of them considered neck-and-neck. Of these 17 seats, 13 were held by Republicans and four by Democrats.
The rearrangement of constituency boundaries in some states before the election was also one of the issues affecting the competition. Through these regulations, Republicans and Democrats tried to create regions where their candidates would have an advantage.
AHEAD OF THE DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE
In addition to the House race, Democrats also made a significant gain in the Senate.
According to Reuters, former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley and won the previously Republican-controlled Senate seat to Democrats.
