McConnell says 'democracy is solid' in the US as he predicts close midterm elections
By Ali Zaslav, Ted Barrett and Clare Foran, CNNUpdated: Tue, 23 Aug 2022 15:12:23 GMTSource: CNNSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told an audience in Kentucky on Monday that he believes democracy
By Ali Zaslav, Ted Barrett and Clare Foran, CNNUpdated: Tue, 23 Aug 2022 15:12:23 GMT
Source: CNN
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told an audience in Kentucky on Monday that he believes democracy in the United States is on solid ground and said he expects the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections "to be very, very close either way" in the Senate.
McConnell did not repeat his assertion -- which received widespread attention last week -- that the House will be easier to flip to Republican control than the Senate. But he said during the event, "flipping the Senate -- what are the chances? It's a 50/50 proposition. We've got a 50/50 Senate right now, we've got a 50/50 nation and I think the outcome is likely to be very, very close either way."
Asked later to elaborate, McConnell said, "well, Senate races are statewide. They're just different in nature from individual congressional districts. Twenty of my members up and only 14 of the Democrats, so that's to their advantage. Many of these states are purple states and could go either way. I think it's just going to be a really close race."
The comments come as the 2022 midterm elections are rapidly approaching in November -- contests where the fate of which party wields the majority in the House and Senate are at stake. Republicans are currently in the minority in both chambers.
McConnell also said during the event that the US has "a very solid democracy" as he reflected on the process of an orderly transfer of power in the country and alluded to efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.
"I do think it's an important issue. I mean, we saw between the November 3rd and January 20th changing of one administration for another, there were those who were trying to prevent the orderly transfer of power for the first time in American history. That was not good. It was thwarted," he said in response to a question.
McConnell went on to say though, "look, I think we have a very solid democracy" and "our democracy is solid."
