Thoughts on the US Congressional Elections

Thoughts on the US Congressional Elections

As Election Day unfolds Tuesday in the United States, prominent American political figures are offering their thoughts on the national elections that will determine who controls Congress for the next two years as the country inches closer to the 2020 presidential election.

Here is what some of them said:

Former Vice President Joe Biden, possibly a Democratic challenger to Republican President Donald Trump in the next race for the White House, said he would be "dumbfounded" if Democrats do not win back the House of Representatives.

"This is the single most important off-year election in my lifetime," said Biden, his voice hoarse from campaign speeches in recent days. "It's about the character of the country."

​Eric Trump, one of the president's sons, said his father's "name is not on the ballot, but America is winning. We're winning with everything right now."

Trump claimed his father has "made America the greatest country in the world."

"If that army of Trump gets out there today, we win," he said. "This country is winning. I mean, we are winning. … Our country is doing awesome."

Vice President Mike Pence wrote in an opinion article in USA Today, "While Republicans have delivered results, Democrats have chosen a one-word agenda: Resist."

"Democrats' policies are even more liberal — and dangerous — than ever before," Pence said. "They want massive tax hikes, weaker borders and a complete government takeover of health care that would hurt our families and seniors."

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Trump, said on Twitter: "For the past two years, we've watched this administration attack and undermine our democratic institutions and values. Today, we say enough."

"But we won't just vote against radicalism, bigotry, and corruption today," she said. "We'll vote for fantastic candidates all over the country—including a historic number of women—who want to raise wages, fight for justice, and help more people get health care."

In a New York Times opinion article, former FBI director James B. Comey, fired by Trump last year, decried the "lying, misogyny, racism and attacks on the rule of law from our president" and urged Americans to vote based on their values. He said he is optimistic the United States eventually will recover from "the current leadership of our country and the ugly undercurrent on which it thrives."

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he is "cautiously optimistic" that Republicans would keep the House majority after Tuesday's midterm elections, citing a strong U.S. economy and the Republicans' record in Congress.

But he acknowledged in a Fox News interview that Republicans could lose their House majority control. "History is not our friend," he said, noting U.S. political trends weigh against the political party that controls the White House, in this case Republicans, in elections halfway through a president's four-year term.

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