US-Parlamentswahlen: Denkzettel für Trumps Republikaner bei US-Kongresswahl

In the U.S. parliamentary elections, former President Donald Trump's Republican Party is facing a significant setback. The voting has turned into a referendum on the policies of the U.S. President, with voters blaming him for rising prices. Democrats have good prospects, according to initial trends, to regain a solid majority in the House of Representatives.

In the Senate, they have already achieved some successes to take away the control from the Republicans. As the counting continues in many places, Democratic candidates have secured around 60 seats in the House of Representatives, which are currently held by Republicans. Republican candidates managed to secure only 4 seats. The House of Representatives requires 218 seats for a majority, and Democrats currently hold 214 mandates.

The road to control over the Senate is more challenging for Democrats - but the outcome appears realistic as the vote counting proceeds. Republicans currently have a majority of 53 in the Senate. Democrats would need to take net four seats away from the Republicans. The first switch came in North Carolina, where former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper won.

Six Democratic candidates, currently held by Republicans, also made initial gains. Republican candidates managed to hold onto zero initially. In Georgia, former "wobble candidate" Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff easily defended his seat. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate are decided in the parliamentary elections.

The counting of votes is ongoing in many places, with final majority results expected but unclear. In some states like California, days might pass before the final tally is complete. There might be close elections in some cases. U.S. citizens had already voted beforehand; according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida, almost 61 million voters cast their vote even before the election day, up from around 46 million in the 2022 Midterms.

A deeper political pressure on the White House could be expected if Democrats gain a majority in Congress. With a majority in the House of Representatives, they could chair committee investigations or subpoena government officials. The Constitution also gives the House of Representatives the right to initiate impeachment proceedings, which the Senate would then decide on for actual removal from office, requiring a two-thirds majority - a difficult achievement.

Democrats have not shown much ambition to launch another impeachment against Trump during his first term, as they failed to do so in 2018 when they gained a majority in the House of Representatives. Whether Trump acknowledges defeat in case of a loss remains uncertain. He claimed in the past that he would acknowledge the results if the elections were "fair", but still denies losing the 2020 presidential election, claiming it was rigged.