Slim majorities have become more common in the U.S. House and Senate
Republicans will kick off the 119th Congress with the smallest margin of control in the U.S. House of Representatives in modern history.
Congress
2024 elections show more partisan splits between states’ presidential and Senate votes than in recent past
Four states that Republican Donald Trump carried in this month’s presidential election also elected Democratic senators.
How do states fill vacancies in the U.S. Senate? It depends on the state
In the event that a Senate seat becomes vacant, governors in 45 states have the power to appoint a temporary replacement.
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17 states haven’t had a female U.S. senator, and 18 haven’t had a woman governor
Five races for U.S. Senate and two for governor feature a major-party nominee who, if elected, would be the first woman in their state to hold the office.
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For decades, most U.S. House seats have mainly been won by the incumbent party
In 2020, 93% of districts were retained by the same party; only 18 of 435 districts (4%) flipped.
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In GOP Contest, Trump Supporters Stand Out for Dislike of Compromise
Donald Trump has a wide lead for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. His supporters stand out from Republicans who back Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley in their desire for a presidential candidate who will push hard for policies that Republican voters want.
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What Americans know about their government
Three-quarters of Americans are familiar with the length of a Supreme Court appointment.
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What do you know about the U.S. government?
Test your civics knowledge by taking our short 6-question quiz.
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Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics
Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.
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Congress has long struggled to pass spending bills on time
If Congress passes the Oct. 1 deadline without either a new set of spending bills or a continuing resolution, nonessential operations would be forced to shut down.
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How the GOP won the turnout battle and a narrow victory in last year’s midterms
A new analysis shows that relatively few people who voted in the 2018 midterms were persuaded to vote for a different party four years later.
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Narrow majorities in U.S. House have become more common but haven’t always led to gridlock
House Republicans held the fifth-smallest majority in U.S. history at the start of the current congress, tied with the 107th and 83rd Congresses.
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In Divided Washington, Americans Have Highly Negative Views of Both Parties’ Leaders
Americans express highly negative views of President Joe Biden, congressional leadership in both parties and Congress more broadly. Views of the economy remain overwhelmingly negative, and there has been a sharp rise in the share who say the country cannot solve many of its important problems.
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