Iran Press/ America: US Democrats took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years, a crucial victory that spells trouble for President Donald Trump in the second half of his first term in office.
According to Reuters, While the Senate was a lost cause from the get-go in polls, Democrats were highly optimistic that they would win back the lower chamber of Congress.
By winning the House, Democrats will have the opportunity to frustrate Trump’s legislative plans and ramp up their “obstructionist” approach, as the president would like to call it.
The Democrats can also freely launch investigations into Trump's administration and his controversial business affairs, from tax returns to potential conflicts of interest.
US Democrats took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years
However, the majority is not going to be big enough to let them bring up more ambitious topics such as impeaching Trump and his latest addition to the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Despite a general disagreement between Democratic leaders about going as far as impeaching the Republican head of state, there are still several lawmakers who think Trump has committed enough wrongdoings to be impeached.
The House victory might also help Democrats look into Trump’s alleged ties with Russia, a highly-debated topic that is currently under investigation by the Justice Department’s Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
The Republicans, who headed to the elections with narrow 52-48 majority are now projected to open an even bigger gap.
Two Muslim women among winners
For the first time, a pair of Native American congresswomen are headed to the House, in addition to two Muslim congresswoman.
On Tuesday night, Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women elected to Congress.
Minnesota Democratic Congressional-elect Ilhan Omar
Omar, in addition to being one of the first Muslim women in Congress, will also be the first Somali-American member.
Only two other Muslims have been elected to Congress, and both are men currently in office: Rep. Keith Ellison and Indiana Democratic Rep. Andre Carson.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy and civil rights group, welcomed the historic string of victories by the American Muslim candidates nationwide in the midterm elections.
“We congratulate the successful American Muslim candidates nationwide, whose victories demonstrate the strength of our political system and the growing positive role of American Muslims at every level of our society,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said.
More than 90 American Muslims ran for office this year at the local, state and national level. 101/202
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