White House in sight, Democrats now focus on US Congress majority
With presidential nominee Hilary Clinton holding her lead over rival Donald Trump, Democrats have turned their attention to congressional races hoping to flip both chambers — the Senate and the House of Representatives — that are currently dominated by Republicans.
President Barack Obama, who has hit the campaign trail recently, was expected on Monday to endorse 30 more Democrats — including Ami Bera, an Indian-American seeking a third term from California — running for the House. Clinton had plowed $1 million in Indiana and Missouri, solidly Republican states — with Indiana being home to Trump’s vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence — in support of Democrats running for the house from there and governorship who could do well with a small push from her.
She can afford to, leading as she was at this stage of the race with just two weeks to polling by over six points in the national average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight pegging her chances of winning at 86.2%.
Even Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway admitted they were behind in TV interview on Sunday. Trump, who has said he will not accept the election outcome if defeated, had talked of losing in recent rallies and acted as if he had already moved beyond election day, at least in his mind.
Democrats can focus on congressional races thus — 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 in the senate. Republicans controlled the outgoing House with 246 members, 28 more than the 218 threshold. Democrats held 186 and though they hope to increase their tally, they have been realistically circumspect about flipping it, which would require 32 more seats.
The Senate will be easier. Democrats, who currently have 46 members in the 100-member chamber (99 actually, with the vice-president being the 100th), needed just four or five to flip it and will most likely, according to polls.