The surprising midterm election outcome was welcome news for Biden and the democrats. While the House majority flipped to the republicans, democrats are poised to pick up a seat in the Senate if polls are correct about Tuesday’s Georgia runoff election between incumbent Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker.
Regardless of the outcome, President Biden is entering a new phase of his presidency, where he will face a divided government. This means that Biden’s ambitious legislative agenda may be stalled. Even basic acts of governing, such as passing a budget or raising the debt ceiling, could become difficult in the new Congress. This will not be Biden’s first time facing gridlock. In 2010, as Vice President under Obama, Biden was pivotal in negotiations with the Republican led House and Senate throughout the remainder of Obama’s tenure. And with Mitch McConnell still at the helm of the Republican party, there is some hope that at least some of the ugliest fights can be avoided.
But this Republican party is not the same one he faced off against a decade ago. The hard shift to the right over the past few years and the enduring legacy of Trump’s Judicial appointments are poised to have an even greater effect with a Republican led house.
