Candidate Says There's a 'Very Good Chance' GOP Will Control Congress After Midterms

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - There's a very good chance Republicans will gain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in this year's midterm elections in light of the current state of the American economy under Democratic leadership, Republican congressional candidate Wesley Hallman told Sputnik.

US voters head to the polls for midterm elections on November 8 to determine who controls Congress, with Republicans poised to seize the House from the Democrats while the Senate struggle is expected to come down to the wire.

"I think the midterm is looking better than it did over the summer, so I would say very, very good chance," Hallman said about the chances Republicans will take control of Congress in the midterms. "It looks like a very, very strong chance on the House side and a good chance on the Senate side."

Headwinds in the US economy are effecting all aspects of Americans' lives, Hallman said.

"Interest rates - it affects literally everything," Hallman said. "People are putting their dreams, whether it's buying a home, investing in education, or etc, all of these things become more expensive. And so many, many American families are doing a reassessment of what they can and can't afford, and it's putting on hold hopes and dreams in a very real sense."

Thirty-five of the 100 seats in the US Senate and all 435 House seats are up for election this year, in addition to state and local positions. The Democrats currently control the House of Representatives by eight seats while the Senate is split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris representing the tie-breaking vote in her role as president of the upper chamber.

According to the averages of surveys gathered by poll aggregator RealClearPolitics (RCP), Republicans are likely to win 225 House seats, well over the 218 needed to win the majority. House Democrats are likely to win 173 seats while 37 are in the toss-up category, according to the RCP data. If the Senate races ended today, the Republicans would likely end up with at least 48 seats to the Democrats' 46, with six still too close to call, the data shows.

Poor Leadership Contributed to Economy Issues

Hallman believes that bad policies implemented during the coronavirus pandemic and overall incompetence have contributed to the inflation crisis and workforce issues in the United States.

"I think that some bad policies and incompetence led to some of our inflation crisis with coming out of COVID and paying people or incentivizing people to not work, and that's one of the reasons why you have the workforce issues that you do have right now," the Republican candidate said. "The second thing that that did was put on steroids the inflation problems because you've got a major spike in fuel and food prices globally."

In addition, the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 also showcased the folly of the United States disengaging from international leadership, Hallman said.

Moreover, Russia carried out its special military operation in Ukraine because the United States signaled it would not do anything, and the developments there led to a disruption in wheat and oil supplies in the global markets, he said.

"It affects our day-to-day lives on the basis of people's wallets," Hallman said.

The congressional candidate said US global leadership is needed to maintain stability abroad and national security at home.

Too Much on Plate For Ukraine Aid

US lawmakers may have too much on their plate during the upcoming lame duck session to pass another security assistance package for Ukraine, Hallman told Sputnik.

Several US lawmakers reportedly want to try to pass a $50 billion aid package for Ukraine before the end of the year following concerns that the Republicans could jeopardize future aid for Ukraine after current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy vowed to cease writing blank checks to Kiev if the Republicans get the majority in the lower chamber of Congress after the upcoming midterm elections on November 8.

"Realize that we will have had an election by that time, so there's going to be a fair amount of stuff on the plate of a lame duck to include funding our government," Hallman said. "I mean, we still don't have a budget. So there's a lot on that plate. We'll see what happens."

US arms transfers come with serious restrictions and the US intelligence community is likely monitoring the black market for any US-supplied weapons sent to Ukraine, he said.

"Any type of arms transfers come with very serious restrictions on what you can do with certain third party transfers," Hallman said. "I don't have insight into exactly what's going on, but I also know that our intelligence communities keep their ears open for what is on the black market."

Hallman is running for a US House seat in this year's midterm elections to represent California's 28th congressional district. Hallman, a 27-year Air Force veteran, previously served in the Pentagon for the Joint Chief of Staff's strategic plans and policy directorate. He also worked as the Chief Air Force Liaison to the House of Representatives where he worked with lawmakers on national security matters.