Donald Trump
By Venkatesh Raghavan
The US midterm polls that favoured the Democrats in the Senate and yielded a narrow margin of victory to the Republicans in the House of Representatives have also set off a slew of speculations on what is on hold for the political fortunes of those running for the highest office in the land.
Former President Donald Trump seeking to get re-elected to the top office after a four-year gap is mired with both controversy and recalcitrance on part of the electorate on being unable to forgive the ugly violence that precipitated at Capitol Hill following his having to remit office on January 6, 2021. His speech on Tuesday, announcing his intentions to run for Presidency on a Republican ticket in 2024 has engendered mixed reactions from within his Party cadres.
Political experts pointed out that even though Joe Biden’s performance in the past two years was found to be wanting on several counts, including high inflation resulting in rising cost of living, the Democrats were able to benefit from young voters who expressed concern over social choices like abortion and gay rights. Besides, the behaviour of Trump supporters at Capitol Hill had irked a lot of voters, even within the Republican ranks, with the US witnessing an unprecedented mob violence spree that usually transpires in the world’s developing or emerging economies.
Amidst the speculations, there were also reports that the Republicans failed miserably in being able to bring their supporters or voters to the ballot booth in large enough numbers during the midterm polls. Though this might be a point of debate, voices from within the Party also expressed dissent over Trump’s decision to run for the Presidential race as the Republican candidate in 2024. One of the reasons for such sharp criticism is that many of the candidates that were backed by Trump for the midterm polls had to bite the dust when the poll results were out.
It was reported that among the undecided lot there was a current that pushed towards weakening the grip of Donald Trump over the Republican Party. Many voters who were not very happy with the Democrats, however, abstained from casting a negative vote in favour of the Republicans as the former was considered to be the lesser of the two evils. The Democrats were faced with a very weak showing on issues relating to crime, immigration and inflation. The recent June 24 ruling by the US Supreme Court overturning the woman’s right to abortion had set off an alarm among the circle of liberals, who dread the orthodox rightwing fold taking a firm grip on the legislative arm. “Akin to the move that overturned the right to abortion, there might be a slew of other measures that encroach on rights of individuals if the rightwing elements are permitted space,” said a 25-year-old voter.
Traditionally, in the US Senate and the House of Representatives, there is a fair degree of anti-incumbency votes that influence the electorate’s verdict. This time over, the opposition ranks, namely the Republicans have grossly under-performed and let down the expectations that sections of the electorate had for a “red wave.”
