Democrats Take Control of Congress in US Midterm Elections
US voters gave Democrats control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate on November 3, delivering a severe rebuke to Donald Trump and his MAGA movement. Democratic candidates captured Republican-held seats in conservative states, including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, producing a result Joseph Ura of Clemson University described as a historic victory.
The campaign was dominated by the cost of living. An Associated Press survey of about 80,000 voters across all 50 states found that three-quarters considered the US economy “not so good” or “poor”, while four in five said inflation had caused moderate or severe hardship for their household. Andrew Gawthorpe of Leiden University said high fuel prices may have helped Democrats win support in rural areas that usually form part of the Republican base.
The article links the price shock to Trump’s decision in February to launch the US-Israeli war on Iran. Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz restricted the movement of oil and liquefied natural gas, pushing up energy costs. Trump’s tariff policies and fluctuating trade conflict with China also failed to deliver the prosperity he had promised, giving Democratic candidates further grounds to portray the election as a judgment on his presidency.
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