After months of campaigning by hundreds of candidates, control of the House of Representatives could be determined on Election Day — barring runoffs and delayed counting in some areas.
The party that controls the House can unleash a barrage of investigations of the Biden administration, as Republicans have already promised. The majority can also launch impeachment proceedings.
Key issues include everything from abortion to the economy, with each party hoping their voters turn out in big numbers.
Here’s what you need to know on Election Day:
Follow along for the latest updates on House races.
Stock market reacts to possible ‘red wave’
Stocks rallied Tuesday on expectations that Republicans will retake at least one chamber of Congress, likely the House of Representatives. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up by 1.5% as of 1 p.m. ET. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were also up by more than 1%.
Stocks tend to perform better when in a divided Congress gridlock since it can restrict government spending and hold up new legislation that can negatively impact stocks, analysts said.
Political gridlock has “historically benefitted equity investors, with the S&P 500 Index averaging annual gains within the range of 13.0%,” John Lynch, Comerica Wealth Management’s chief investment officer, wrote in a report. “Though counterintuitive, equity markets tend to prefer divided government.”
– Elisabeth Buchwald, Medora Lee
Vega makes final push at Woodbridge, Virginia, precincts on Election Day
In Woodbridge, congressional candidates Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Republican Yesli Vega are making the rounds at various precincts to greet voters and make their final pitches.
Spanberger is on the road with Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va. Vega spoke with reporters outside Kilby Elementary School, saying she felt “very confident” about today’s election.
“We cannot afford another two years of this administration, record high inflation, crime through the roof in our communities, drugs pouring into our neighborhoods, destroying our families and killing our youth,” Vega said.
– Kaila Nichols and Dante Nieto, Medill News Service
What’s at stake?
What happens in midterm elections today will impact what happens in the run-up to the presidential election in 2024.
If Democrats keep the Senate and House, President Joe Biden can continue furthering his agenda, providing a longer record for him and other Democrats to run on (if he decides to for re-election).
If Republicans take over the House, they have already promised to launch a litany of investigations of the Biden administration that could damage Democrats’ record (and Biden’s legacy). If Republicans take the Senate, they can block Supreme Court nominations and block legislation.
Karoline Leavitt, GOP candidate for U.S. House, votes in New Hampshire
Karoline Leavitt is running for New Hampshire’s 1st District congressional seat, attempting to unseat Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of Manchester, an incumbent who has served two terms.
The race is one of the more closely watched around the country, playing out in a district that went to Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Leavitt cast her ballot at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire.
– Anna Kaufman
What are some key issues?
The economy and inflation are at the forefront of voters’ minds as they consider who on their ballots to vote for in the Nov. 8 midterm election, but their concerns go beyond just the higher cost of gas and groceries.
While inflation has managed to remain the top issue throughout the election season, immigration reform, the soaring costs of health care, and a lack of affordable housing are also economic factors voters are considering as they contemplate who to vote for – if they even decide to cast their ballot.
Read the rest here:Inflation, health care and rent: key economic factors voters consider in midterms
— Sarah Elbeshbishi
Watch out, Hunter Biden? What voters predict a GOP House majority would do
Get ready for gridlock?
Voters have low expectations of what Republicans will be able to do if they win a majority in the House of Representatives in November’s elections, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.
Four in 10, 42%, foresee “more partisan gridlock with nothing getting done” if power is divided between a GOP-controlled House and a Democratic president. Just 19% say that situation would force more bipartisanship.
Another 25% predict “nothing will change” from the last two years.
Read the whole story here:Watch out, Hunter Biden? What voters predict a GOP House majority would do
– Susan Page
Voting rights in the United States: A state-by-state analysis
How the last census changed the House of Representatives
Texas will gain two more congressional seats and seven states will each lose a seat as a result of population shifts recorded in the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau said Monday in the release of its first round of data from the survey taken last year.
In total, seven seats shifted, affecting 13 states. Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon each gained one seat in addition to Texas. California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia each lost one seat.
Previously:Texas will gain 2 congressional seats. Seven states to lose 1 seat, Census Bureau data shows
– Katie Wadington, Jeanine Santucci
House races to watch
Republicans are trying to take over the majority in the House, and candidates and election analysts agree things aren’t looking good for the Democrats.
“Democrats are gonna lose seats,” said Chris Warshaw, a professor at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The question, Warshaw said, is how much Democrats can mitigate their losses.
President Joe Biden’s remaining political agenda is dependent on Democrats controlling the House. But high inflation, a surge in spending from Republican PACs, favorable election maps in a number of GOP-controlled states, and historical trends that work against the party in power has analysts predicting a GOP takeover of the House.
Among the hundreds of seats in the House, though, there are a handful that stand out. Read about them here.
– Ken Tran, Dylan Wells
Leave a Reply