Though the majority of the Capitol after the midterm elections has been set in stone, eight congressional seats and two Senate seats still remain undecided. President Donald Trump has abruptly accused officials of voter fraud in Florida via Twitter with no evidence. In Mississippi, neither Democratic challenger Mike Espy nor Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith reached over half of the votes.
At this time, the Republican Party maintains the majority in the US Senate with 51 seats, compared to the 47 seized by the Democrats. There are still two undecided. However, in the House of Representatives, Democrats grabbed a majority with 229 seats, leaving 198 seats for Republicans, with 10 races still unsettled.
Experts were on CGTN's The Heat on Monday to talk about the suspense of the two parties fighting over these seats.
David Smith from The Guardian holds the view that Donald Trump's accusation is based on the Republicans' interest at stake over Florida—they have lost Arizona overnight, and they can't afford to further lose morale over Florida. On the other hand, Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer has a tough response for Donald Trump, saying he is the one lying, harassing and bullying the election.
Incoming members of the US House of Representatives pose for the 116th Congress Member-Elect Class Photo on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, November 14, 2018. /VCG Photo
Regarding whether the farce would go for as long as 36 days in 2000 during Gore vs. Bush remains to be seen, though political analyst Eleanor Clift is optimistic about it, suggesting Nelson will probably end up the winner. For her, what stands out as the most obvious problem is the incompetence behind the systematic procedure, while Donald Trump's accusations are merely a strategy when things do not go as wished.
Jennifer Sarver, formerly with the US Commerce Department during the Bush administration, concurs with the idea of political incompetence behind the votes and further points out the imminent need to secure and broaden the access for voters. The rise of political participation from the public calls for a more developed and fair political process. She further notes that losing the House is a wake-up call for Republicans to alter their strategy concerning women and the younger generations.
Lawyer Tristan Brown, who worked with the Obama administration, addresses the Democrats' tremendous victory with Kyrsten Sinema, who flipped over 12 percent of the votes with her intriguing personal experience and her political campaign in Arizona.
Nationally, Democrats holding the House could cause potential gridlock for the Trump administration. Furthermore, David Smith suggests that Trump could also use the loss of the House of Representatives as a scapegoat for his incompetence in implementing his policies.
However, the real focus should be on the impact of the midterm elections on government policies and how they affect US citizens.
Domestically, healthcare and immigration were extremely polarizing issues.
How Democrats and Republicans spar with each other over other pressing issues such as the border wall and the approaching Central American migrant caravan will be interesting to see.
Whether the results of the election would further influence the Trump administration's internal arrangements is still unknown. Though Jennifer Sarver showed concern about the potential lack of qualified people who are willing to serve in the government, it is unclear whether the decision to install a new Attorney General is due to the administration's anxiety to the Russian probe now that Republicans don't control the House.
One thing for sure after the elections is a greater balance of power between the two parties. This may result in a slowdown to efficiency within the government, but it also symbolizes that the heated problems will get a more thorough discussion — since both parties now are at full speed ahead to 2020.
The Heat with Anand Naidoo is a 30-minute political talk show on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 7:00 a.m. BJT and 7:00 p.m. Eastern in the United States
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)