Comment President Biden has spent the final stretch of the campaign warning of the colossal dangers the country supposedly faces if Republicans gain full control of Congress in the midterm elections, sounding alarms of a government shutdown, social security cuts and the potential collapse of democracy. But as the president described the race as a “tipping point” for the country, he has largely avoided discussing the overwhelming stakes for himself, despite the possibility that a Republican split could upend the trajectory of his presidency. Personally and politically, Tuesday’s election is a momentous event for Biden. The outcome could shape whether the rest of his term will be marked by incremental steps on his priorities — or the infighting, investigations and extremes that could follow a GOP takeover. It could also determine whether Biden, who turns 80 this month, can convince his increasingly anxious party that he is the right person to lead the ticket in 2024. Most analysts expect Republicans to win the House, which alone could overwhelm the White House with investigations by hard-line supporters of former President Donald Trump. But even more damaging is the possibility of him losing the Senate, seen as a coup, which would make it difficult for Biden to continue elevating federal judges at the same clip and could preclude any Supreme Court confirmation if a vacancy arises. “If Biden can hold a Democratic Senate, then he will be in the catbird seat to run for re-election,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University. “Now, if it’s a red wave and the Republicans win the Congress and the Senate, there will be a drumbeat for Biden not to be the party’s nominee.” But the impact on Biden could come much faster than that. The president’s advisers insist his decision on whether to run for re-election will not be affected by Tuesday’s results, but a wave of Republicans could immediately cast doubt on Biden’s ability to govern. Many GOP candidates declined to say whether they would accept an election defeat, raising the prospect of a wave of challenges across the country, tinged by unsubstantiated allegations of fraud. And Trump has signaled he will announce his re-election plans within days, sparking further turmoil just as Biden prepares to leave for a weeklong trip to Asia on Thursday. “There are over 300 Republican candidates for state, local and federal office who are denying the election, saying I didn’t win the election, even though hundreds of challenge attempts have all failed, even in Republican courts,” Biden said. he said Monday at a rally for New York Gov. Kathy Hotchul (D). He added: “We all know very well that our democracy is at risk.” GOP leaders have vowed to immediately launch a series of investigations if they take office on Jan. 1, targeting Biden’s son and members of his cabinet and bringing to justice the most tumultuous moments of his administration. Some threatened to impeach the president or his top officials. And plans are already underway to use must-pass bills as leverage, such as those that fund the government or raise its debt limit, raising the prospect of political upheaval and economic turmoil. For the past two years, Republican lawmakers have said a GOP-controlled Congress would seek to impeach President Biden. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post) Biden warns that the GOP could lead the US down the road to chaos Amid Democratic anxiety, some in the party have already begun whispering about whether Biden has the nerve to beat Trump a second time, and those whispers are likely to grow louder if Democrats face a midterm impeachment. Trump and President Barack Obama had a loyal faction of enthusiastic supporters to help them weather setbacks in their first midterms, but Biden has no such fan base. The culture of electoral denial that Trump has enabled could create new problems while Biden is abroad, as many Republican candidates have already hinted that any result unfavorable to them must be tainted by fraud. Some GOP officials have begun challenging thousands of ballots in battleground states, alleging voter fraud or using technical issues to block mail-in ballots, potentially weakening Biden’s hand as he attends three global summits abroad. Biden used a prime-time speech last week to decry political violence and voter intimidation. He also encouraged Americans to be patient as the vote-counting process unfolds, even if it takes several days to determine the winners, as is likely in many states. “This is also the first election since the events of January 6, when an armed, angry mob stormed the US Capitol,” Biden said. “I wish I could say the attack on our democracy ended that day, but I can’t.” Trump has previously encouraged candidates to declare victory if they lead while votes are still being counted, which could cause chaos while Biden is on foreign soil. White House officials brushed off questions about Biden’s decision to leave the country so soon after the polls closed, arguing he could be president from anywhere in the world. They noted that the summits on climate, Asia and the Group of 20 that Biden is participating in had been planned for a long time. One adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss domestic strategy, said Biden’s turn on the world stage could even provide a politically advantageous image of “the president of the United States leading the free world in a way that only he can’, regardless of what is happening domestically politically. In the interim, a new test for US democracy Biden has pushed through several major pieces of legislation during his first two years, from prescription drugs to climate change to computer chips, but any further victories will be difficult if the GOP takes the House. Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who plans to become speaker, said his colleagues would use the majority in Congress to investigate Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, his handling of immigration in the South borders and the investigative movements of the Ministry of Justice. Some Democrats say privately that losing the House, as devastating as it is, could be political. Obama and former President Bill Clinton both had disastrous showings in their first midterms, but followed them up with successful re-election bids, using the unpopular House GOP as a foil. The current House Republican conference includes a faction of pro-choice and disinformation believers, as well as many who want to outlaw abortion, potentially making them an even easier political target. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden has spent much of the past year laying out the “enormous stakes for the middle class” if Republican policies prevail “to worsen inflation with tax cuts for the rich and cuts to Medicare and Social Security.” Republican leaders argue that Democratic majorities are needed to stop Biden’s lavish spending, which they say has fueled inflation and reined in his chaotic policies, and they reject criticism of his undemocratic remarks. “President Biden is desperate to change the subject from inflation, crime and open borders,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tweeted recently. “Now he claims that democracy only works if his party wins. What nonsense.” Biden’s party could defy predictions from both parties by holding the House and expanding its majority in the Senate, an outcome the president recently said he was “optimistic” would happen. Biden explained what he would do with another Democratic Congress, promising to codify the recently overturned Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision and extension of the right to abortion. He has embraced reinstating the 60-vote rule that has blocked much of his agenda in the Senate for the past two years, saying that on issues such as women’s rights and voting rights it would push lawmakers to pass legislation with a simple majority. While the president and his allies have expressed public confidence that they can beat expectations on Tuesday, they have also begun to prepare the public for a less favorable outcome. “If we lose the House and the Senate, it’s going to be a horrible two years,” Biden said Friday at a fundraiser in Chicago. “The good news is that I will have veto power.” Democratic and Republican candidates across the country are making their final campaign push on Nov. 7, the day before Election Day. (Video: The Washington Post) Biden may be able to veto the GOP legislation, but he would have a hard time blocking Republican plans to investigate his son, which some GOP leaders say would be a top priority if they win control of Congress. Republicans have publicly accused Hunter Biden, who has faced scrutiny over his foreign financial dealings and self-admitted history of substance abuse, of posing a national security threat. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty, while acknowledging that he is under investigation by the Department of Justice and has not been charged with a crime. Complicating matters greatly for Biden, Trump has increasingly suggested he will announce a re-election campaign within days, immediately casting him as the most significant threat to the Biden presidency and forcing the president to respond while putting the two men on rematch trajectory. “I’ll probably have to do it again, but stay tuned,” Trump said during a campaign rally Sunday in Florida, teasing another event in Ohio on Monday. “We have a big, big rally. Stay tuned for tomorrow night.” Trump, 76, could try to capitalize on the momentum of a strong Republican showing in the election by immediately starting to campaign for himself after Tuesday. Is former President Donald Trump still the undisputed leader of the GOP, or is the party moving on? (Video: Michael Cadenhead/The Washington Post) Biden has claimed credit for being the…
