Mid-Term Elections

 Mid-Term Elections On November 4th, 2014, the Mid-term Elections for the 471 Congressional Seats, 36 Senate seats, including three special elections, and all 435 House seats will begin. Currently the GOP (Grand Old Party, which refers to the Republican Party) holds the majority of the House seats while the Democratic Party controls the Senate. In order for the GOP to take the majority in the Senate, they need to take six seats currently held by Democrats and keep control of the 14 seats that they currently hold. For Democrats to take majority control of the U.S. House, they need to pick up 17 seats. If the GOP does indeed take control of the Senate it could have a profound effect on President Obama’s final years in office and on the future of the GOP. The GOP has a large advantage in taking over the Senate due to the national mood favoring the Republican Party, which means more chances to pick up the six seats they need to get to 51. Unfortunately for Democratic incumbents, seven of their seats are in states carried by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 Presidential Election. Those states are: Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia. If the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) remains a major issue leading into the midterm elections, the Democratic Party will be facing an uphill battle for the current Democratic seats in GOP states. The GOP has the upper hand in the election because of the history of Democratic voters. Most Democratic voters vote in the presidential election and fewer vote during the midterm elections. Animosity toward Obama and his policies also makes Republicans more eager to vote. Once in control of the Senate, the GOP will most likely begin by fighting against the Obama Administration’s Affordable Care Act. The Washington Post 2014 Midterm Elections Forecast Election Lab, aka "The Monkey Cage", shows that the GOP holds 45 Senate seats and 234 House seats, predicting that by next January they will hold 52 Senate seats and 244 House seats. Seven Senate seats will be open due to the announcement that they will not be running for re-election. In addition to the list, four senators left office early: Max Baucus (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Tom Coburn (R-OK). The deaths of senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and the early resignation of Tom Coburn (R-OK), will make it necessary for three special elections to be held with the regular 33 elections in November. It is clear that in to upcoming months towards the midterm elections there will be heated debates going on all over the nation with all one common point of discussion, the best-case scenario is that the GOP will control the Senate by next January and that the takeover of the Senate will bring on a whole lot of clarity as to why the GOP and Conservatives say "Don't Tread On Me."

- Tronlegacy2000 (talk)