Jim Cason and David Brooks

Correspondents

La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, November 5, 2024, p. 21

Washington and New York. The vote this Tuesday will not only determine who will occupy the White House, but which party obtains control of Congress, and with it the power to change laws on immigration, determine how to spend the federal budget and the approval of treaties and agreements.

Since 2022, Democrats dominate the Senate with a slim majority of 51 to 49, while Republicans control the Lower House with a majority of 220 to 212.

Every time a new president has been elected this century, that candidate’s party has also taken control (by majority) of both houses of Congress, offering the new president power to push his or her agenda. But that might not happen in 2024.

Control of the Senate will depend on whether two Democratic senators, Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, win their reelections, and whether Republicans, such as Ted Cruz, are defeated. The most recent polls indicate that Republicans are likely to win control of the upper house this cycle, although other races for Senate seats in Arizona, Nebraska, Texas and Michigan may change that forecast.

Control of the House of Representatives will be more tied to how well Kamala Harris and Donald Trump do in various states, most notably California, and final results may take weeks to be determined.

Beyond these electoral battles for Congress, there are 11 races for governor in this cycle, there are also state legislatures at stake, and more than 100 state initiatives will be voted on in referendums.