Democratic gains in U.S. House elections and implications for Mexico, Digi Mart USA News: According to Jorge Molina Larrondo, a political analyst and international relations expert, Democrats in the United States have a very good chance of winning the 218 seats required to control the House of Representatives.
If Democrats gain control of the House, they could set the chamber’s political agenda, Molina Larrondo said in an interview with Paco Ramírez. This would begin with the election of their leader in January as the new Speaker of the House.
Control would also allow Democrats to preside over and hold majorities on all House committees. Molina Larrondo said four of them matter most for Mexico: the Ways and Means Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Energy Committee and the Agriculture Committee, which relate most closely to the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States.
He added that even with a Democratic majority in the House, the principal actors in trade policy would not change. Mexico should therefore build new, effective lines of communication, at least with the chairs of those committees.
Molina Larrondo also said that if Democrats win the Senate, a fundamental challenge would arise. He noted that Mexico has had no presence on Capitol Hill for more than eight years, and that many lawmakers still see Mexico mainly as a source of illegal immigration and fentanyl, so that presence needs to be developed.
According to the analyst, many of the outcomes and risks for Mexico from a possible Democratic victory in the U.S. midterm elections will depend on President Donald Trump’s reaction.
That response could be negative, such as the tariff the president has threatened against Mexico since July of this year.
