‘Trumpism Still Very Much Alive’, Capable of Taking Back House in November, Expert Says
© AP Photo / Sue Ogrocki
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It’s common for the president’s party to lose the midterm elections, so when US voters go to the polls in November to vote in a new House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate, US President Joe Biden is likely to lose the de facto majority in at least one chamber of Congress.
Former US President Donald Trump chalked up another win on Tuesday when Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) prevailed in the Republican primary election for one of the Sooner State’s senate seats.
Mullin is a close supporter of Trump, including backing his claims that the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. Oklahoma hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than 30 years, and Mullin is heavily favored to win over his rival, former Democratic congresswoman Kendra Horn.
Across the country, candidates backed by Trump are defeating rivals supported by other prominent GOP figures, including Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
24 August 2022, 03:18 GMT
Quardricos Driskell, Adjunct Professor in Legislative Affairs at the Graduate School of Political Management of George Washington University, policy influencer and federal lobbyist, told Sputnik on Thursday that while Trump had discredited himself with the FBI raid and the indictment of his former colleagues, “Trumpism is still very much alive in the heart of the GOP, and we [are] witnessing their success.”
“It's worth repeating - there is no evidence of widespread election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Yet, candidates who deny the outcome are winning office in battleground states across the country, including Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin,” he said.
“Outside of the January 6 Select Committee, to which most Americans aren't paying attention, Democrats have been weak regarding any attempts to discredit the GOP, and these GOP candidates who are winning are happy to have his endorsement,” he observed.
Driskell noted that Senate elections are “always unpredictable,” but added that “with the help of Georgia voters per the election of Senators [Raphael] Warnock and [Jon] Ossoff,” the upper chamber “could potentially remain Democratic.”
That said, he predicted the House, where all 435 members are up for re-election and where Democrats control a slim majority, would “flip” to the Republicans in November. Whichever direction the Senate goes, US politics is about to get a lot more interesting.
“The House will predictably flip and if the Senate does [as well], we have a divided government where we would see perhaps some presidential vetoes, with Congress passing legislation that is antithetical to the policy priorities of President Biden,” he said. “Should this change occur, domestic policy will be social-centric, abortion is top of mind. We might see anti-trans legislation, etc.”
“I think the big change will be [in] 2024, because many of the people who will be chosen in the 2022 elections are the ones that will be running the 2024 elections,” he noted. In addition, another one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election, as will the US presidency.
