The 79-year-old Democratic leader has already congratulated himself for having countered the “giant wave” promised by the Republicans during this traditionally perilous election for the power in place, welcoming a “good day for democracy”.
The Republicans certainly still seem to be favorites to win the majority in the House of Representatives, but with a victory much shorter than what they coveted.
If the current predictions are confirmed, it will be the best performance by a president in this type of election for twenty years.
On the Senate side, Joe Biden’s camp snatched the most contested seat in this election from the Republicans in Pennsylvania.
The final composition of the upper house now hangs on three seats: Arizona and Nevada, where the vote count could still take several days, and Georgia, where a runoff is scheduled for Dec. 6.
– Hand held out –
Combative, optimistic, Joe Biden did not wait for the final result of the polls to celebrate a victory on Wednesday in the polls, which predicted a crushing defeat for him after the fierce Republican campaign focused on inflation.
The Biden administration is still “underestimated”, quipped his chief of staff, Ron Klain.
While rejoicing, the tenant of the White House did not forget to take a step towards the Republican opposition, claiming to be open to all “good ideas”.
The opportunity for Joe Biden to put on his favorite costume as a centrist president, fond of compromises, inherited from his long career as a senator.
He thus exchanged at the beginning of the evening with the Republican tenor Kevin McCarthy, tipped to be the next speaker of the House of Representatives in the event of a victory for the right, the White House said.
But the outstretched hand of the president is likely to come up against a red wall, the color of the conservatives.
Even with a slim majority in the House, Republicans would have significant oversight power, which they have promised to use to launch a number of investigations into Joe Biden, his record and his entourage.
The conservative party intends to exploit any potential Democratic flaw, keeping the 2024 presidential election in sight.
“I will lead the fight to ensure that my party does not fail above all,” assured the elected Marjorie Taylor Greene, close to Donald Trump, in a press release.
Within the “Grand Old Party”, the race for the Republican nomination is also timidly beginning to take shape.
Donald Trump, who had bet on a resounding success of his lieutenants to launch under the best auspices, conceded on Wednesday that the results of the “midterms” were “somewhat disappointing”. But “from my personal point of view, this is a very big victory,” he said on his platform, Truth Social.
Disappointment or not, the 76-year-old former president promised a “very big announcement” on November 15. A way to pull the rug out from under one of his potential rivals for the nomination, Ron DeSantis. But the governor of Florida, re-elected triumphantly, comes out stronger from these mid-term elections.
“I’m just starting the fight,” promised after his victory the forty-year-old, who occupies an increasingly central place within the conservatives.
Asked about the Trump-DeSantis rivalry on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said it “would be fun to see them go head-to-head.”
As for his own ambitions, the Democrat reiterated his intention to run for a second term – pushing back his final decision until “early next year”.
