“One of the things we do a bit better is listen. It is about getting people in a room with different life experiences who will look at things a little differently because they’re moms, because they’re daughters who’ve been taking care of senior moms, because they have a different life experience than a lot of senior guys in the room.”
– Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
It does not seem necessary to tell any reader that a woman is running for the Office of the Presidency of the United States. Equally unnecessary is a recap of ‘what candidate said what’ or that this election is a head scratcher for political pundits, the political parties, and many voters. You know all that.
You already know the Hillary campaign has a small business agenda and a women’s agenda. You probably already know the Trump campaign is spending less time on putting together policy agendas and more time on a few key issues.
What you may not know, though, is the quiet march of women across the country running for office in 2016. Thirty-four women are still in the race for statewide elected positions, including two for Governor, six for Lieutenant Governor, eight for Secretary of State, and four for State Treasurer. Forty women ran for the U.S. Senate, and 274 women campaigned for House seats – both all-time record highs.
To put that into context, the first woman ever elected to national office won in 1916. It was not until 1951 that the number of women in the House – of 435 seats – exceeded ten, and it took another thirty years to surpass twenty. Only in the 21st century (2001) did America see ten women Senators serving together. In our current Congress, both the Senate and House are 20% women, the highest percentage in history.
Although much media energy is focused on the Presidential election, one-third of the Senate (34 seats) and all 435 seats in the House are up for re-election. That means control of the United States Senate is at stake and twelve Governor’s seats, which set so many statewide policies, are up for grabs.
Critical to any President’s success, is the make up of the legislative bodies. If the President has a majority of his own party in control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, his/her agenda has a far better chance of advancing than if the other party controls the Senate or House.
A worst-case scenario for Hillary Clinton would be a House and Senate controlled by Republicans. Similarly, a Democratic Congress would hamper the agenda of a President Trump. In the words of a Seinfeld episode, “no soup for you.”
A less cut and dried scenario is a split Congress, where each party controls one body – either the House or the Senate. Republicans now control the House, and many experts believe it will stay in Republican hands. The Senate, however, is another story, where current control by the GOP is held by only 4 seats.
Republicans currently hold 24 of the 34 seats contested this year. With less than half as many Senate seats to defend, Democrats have an opportunity to win a majority of Senate races and take control of the Chamber.
Democrats need to gain at least four seats to take the majority, or five seats if Donald Trump becomes president, because the vice president – either Democrat Tim Kaine or Republican Mike Pence – will serve as the as the Senate’s tie-breaker. Many pundits believe Democrats retaking the Senate is very possible, or even likely.
