US Senate race: The ‘other election’ and why it matters
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Control of the powerful US Senate is a razor-close proposition in the 2020 election, but final results from a handful of contests may not be available for days, and probably even weeks, after the November 3 polls.
The 2020 US elections have been called the country’s “most important election ever” with historians, pundits and politicians on both sides of the aisle agreeing that the choice between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden has portentous implications for the future of the US.
But while the presidential race – with its tweets, threats, drama and debates – have grabbed headlines this year more than ever, the battle for control of the US Senate is just as important as the one for the White House.
There are 35 seats up for election in this 100-member chamber this year.
Republicans currently control the Senate with a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber of Congress, which impacts not just on the balance of power in Washington, D.C., but also the lives of ordinary Americans.
The power of the Senate was on display over the past two years, when the upper chamber in February acquitted Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after the lower chamber, the Democrat-controlled House, impeached him on the charges last year.
The Senate also approves treaties and appointments, including life term-serving US Supreme Court justices appointed by the president.
On October 26, just weeks after Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, the Senate approved Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s pick to replace the liberal Ginsburg. There are currently six Republican appointments in the nine-member Supreme Court, whose decisions influence most spheres of American life, from healthcare to abortion rights to voting access and, possibly, a ruling on the November 3 election results if it ends up in the courts.
With 35 Senate seats on the ballots, the control of the Senate is up for grabs this year. But results from some races are not likely to be known until after Election Day, due to this year’s unprecedented volume of mail-in ballots and possible runoff elections in four races, according to analysts and state election officials.
Each of the 50 US states has two representatives in the Senate who serve six-year terms that are staggered so approximately one-third of the seats are up for grabs every two years.
