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Congressional races are held every two years to elect members of the US Congress, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives. Candidates are chosen by local party members and elections are held in November. The majority of elected members are from the Republican or Democratic parties, with independents and members of other parties also able to run. Successful candidates take seats in January of the following year. These races have a direct impact on the president’s ability to pass policy laws, with midterm results often indicative of the electorate’s opinion of the president’s performance.
The elections held to elect members of the United States Congress are commonly referred to as congressional races. The US Congress consists of two parts: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Congressional races are held every two years, at which time members of the House of Representatives must run for re-election. While two-year terms are served by those in the House of Representatives, those in the Senate must serve six-year terms. Senate elections are staggered so that one-third of senators’ terms expire every two years.
The majority of elected members of Congress are members of the Republican or Democratic parties, although independents and members of other political parties can run for office. Two senators represent each state in the Senate, which means 100 senators sit in Congress. The House of Representatives has 435 elected members. States with larger electorates have more representatives in Congress than states with smaller populations.
Congressional races begin when local Democratic and Republican party members choose candidates for office. Registered members of each political party can choose party candidates in local elections. Selected party candidates then stand in statewide elections in which independents and representatives of other political parties also participate. Elections are always held in November, and successful candidates take seats in Congress in January of the following year.
During congressional races, candidates from all parties and independents attempt to raise money to cover the cost of running a political campaign. Applicants receive funds from local supporters and corporate donors. Volunteers often conduct telemarketing campaigns to solicit donations and encourage registered members to vote on Election Day. Critics of the congressional system argue that wealthy candidates and candidates with wealthy supporters have an unfair advantage in campaigning because they can afford to buy more time for political ads on television and radio. Proponents of the congressional system argue that independents have access to the media and can therefore compete alongside representatives of the two major political parties.
Presidential elections in the United States are held every four years, which means that a series of congressional elections takes place in the middle of the president’s term. Many people interpret midterm congressional race results as indicative of the electorate’s opinion of the president’s performance. Congressional races have a direct impact on the president because the president must garner majority support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives to pass policy laws. Political deadlocks often arise when congressional races give rise to a situation where the president belongs to one political party and a majority of congressmen are aligned with the other major political party.
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