(PatriotWise.com)- Republicans are in a great position to potentially regain control of both chambers of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.
Speaking at an event with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he believes the current state of affairs if the best “atmosphere for Republicans” in three decades.
He mentioned that he believed the atmosphere for the GOP is even better than it was back in 1994. That year marked the first time Republicans won control of both the Senate and House since 1952.
McConnell explained:
“From an atmospheric point of view, it’s a perfect storm of problems for Democrats because it’s an entirely Democratic government.”
There are many things that are working against Democrats right now, as they seek to hold onto their slim majorities in the upper and lower chambers of Congress.
Among those issues are President Joe Biden’s atrocious approval record, as well Russia’s war with Ukraine and the effects on the U.S. as a result, and rising inflation which is significantly affecting Americans’ lives.
In addition to these issues working against liberals, there are a rather large number of Democrats who have announced they will be retiring instead of running for re-election this November.
Despite this overwhelming optimism, McConnell warned attendees at the event that some “unacceptable” candidates could end up costing Republicans key seats in the upcoming election. As he said:
“In the Senate, if you look at where we have to compete in order to get into a majority, there are places that are competitive in the general election. So, you can’t nominate somebody who’s just sort of unacceptable to a broader group of people and win.
“So far, I’m optimistic that in the places that are going to determine who the next majority leader is, we’re going to have fully electable nominees.”
McConnell didn’t say which candidates he would consider to be “unacceptable,” but he did add that:
“Having fully-electable nominees is critical for the Senate.”
Some of the key projected battleground states for the 2022 midterm elections are Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Missouri, Arizona and Georgia.
Right now, Democrats hold only a technical majority in the Senate. There is an even 50-50 split of liberals and conservatives in the upper chamber, but the tie-breaking vote goes to the vice president. Since that position is held by Vice President Kamala Harris, that gives Democrats the majority in the chamber.
Over in the House, Democrats hold a stronger majority, but it’s anything but strong. There are currently 221 Democrats in the lower chamber compared to 209 Republicans.
There are also five current vacancies due to the three recent resignations — Republicans Devin Nunes of California and Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska, as well as Democrat Filemon Vela of Texas — as well as two recent people who passed away — Republicans Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota and Don Young of Alaska.
