As the US election season unfolds, I have tried to hold out hope that the unpopularity of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade might help Democrats to maintain control of both houses of Congress – despite the usual tendency for midterm elections to strengthen the party that does not control the presidency.
In late September, I expressed cautious optimism – emphasis on the caution – that Democrats could win with strong enough organising in states with key races. Six days away from election day, this outcome remains possible, but the polls favour Republicans to take at least the House of Representatives.
The press has a frustrating tendency to adopt a ‘horse race’ narrative, as opposed to examining how structural inequities within our electoral system – for example, the gerrymandering of congressional districts, state-level voter suppression efforts, and equal representation in the Senate by state regardless of population – favour white conservative Christians and the Republican Party.
