On November 6, 2018, the mid-term congressional elections will be held, and thus all 435 seats U.S. House of Representatives will be up for re-election. Also during this cycle, 33 out of 100 U.S. Senate seats will be in play. Much is at stake for both political parties during this most important election season.
Taking control of the House, which until recently seemed nearly impossible for the Democrats, now is give a 50-50 chance by some of the most experienced political prognosticators inside the Washington Beltway. If the Democrats gain a majority and take control, they would take over the Speaker’s Rostrum, as well as all Committee and Subcommittee chairmanships. To accomplish this, the Democrats must capture 24 seats currently held by members of the Republican Party. Coincidentally, there are 25 seats presently held by Republicans in congressional districts that Hillary Clinton won in her ill-fated 2016 Presidential Election.
In the Senate elections this November, the Republicans have a huge advantage this cycle. There are 33 seats up for re-election, 9 of which are held by incumbent Republicans, with the other 24 seats being held by incumbent Democrats and 2 Independents who vote with the Democrats. To make it even more difficult for the Democrats to regain control of the upper body, they must defend ten seats in States where President Trump won over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential elections. Today the Senate is comprised of 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats, due to the shocking election of Doug Jones in a special election win in Alabama last December. Although it appears that the Democratic Party is close to taking control of the Senate, it is also a reach to think that the Democrats can retain all of the seats they currently control while winning two additional seats. And if the Democrats only win one seat, Vice President Pence gets to break the tie in favor of the Republicans!
History has shown that, since 1946, the average loss of House seats in the mid-term elections for the President’s political party is 14 if the President’s approval rating is over 50%; if the President’s approval ratings under 50%, the party of the President loses an average of 36 seats. President Trump’s favorability rating currently is hovering between 38% to 43%, based on a combination of the top nine national polling data companies. Everyone should stay tuned.
Regarding State capitols, 36 governorships are up for re-election, with 26 currently held by Republicans, 9 by Democrats and one (Alaska) by an Independent. State legislatures are also being contested in 46 states, with over 6,000 seats up for re-election this November or during other dates during 2018.
So there is a lot of partisan political activity going on during 2018, both in Washington, DC and in the State in which you reside. You can help by going to the polls and voting for candidates that have the interests of the working class in mind. If you have family members or friends not registered yet, please advise them to register by contacting their Secretary of State’s Office.
LEGISLATION UPDATE
S. 2629
On March 22, 2018, Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced a bi-partisan bill, S. 2629, the Postal Reform Act of 2018.
This bill has many similarities to H.R. 756, which is the House version of postal reform that was introduced in January 2017, passed out of the full Committee by a voice vote.