The battle for congress: can republicans keep control of the House and Senate?

It may be true that the President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world. But a President has much more influence at home if he is able to work effectively with Congress.

During most of his term in office, President Bush has enjoyed Republican control of both houses of Congress--the Senate and the House of Representatives. This has helped him get approval of legislation on tax cuts and other issues.

Since Democrats do not share the President's outlook on many matters, they hope to gain more influence come November 2. "Congressional elections are of historical importance because Congress makes the laws that decide the future of every American and have a broad impact on the entire world in which we live," says Allan Lichtman, professor of history at American University in Washington, D.C.

House Hunting

Democrats will have an uphill battle in their effort to tip the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Only 40 of the 435 seats up for grabs are considered competitive. Of these, says Lichtman, hotly contested races in Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania are worth watching.

But an upset is unlikely. History is on the side of the Republicans, who hold a 22-seat edge over their Democratic rivals. In the past 10 elections, incumbents (current office holders) have a 95 percent or better re-election rate.

In the 32nd district of Texas, Republican Pete Sessions is in a tight race with Democratic challenger Martin Frost. A resident of the Dallas area, Frost represented another Texas district for 25 years. "This is a classic, bare-knuckle, big-league fight," says U.S. Representative Tom Reynolds, head of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Sessions is thought to have an edge over Frost, and most people believe that Republicans will maintain control of the House.

Senate Seats

The Senate is a different story. "Democrats need two more seats to win back the Senate, and that's quite possible," says Lichtman.

In Illinois, Democrats are pinning their hopes on Barack Obama, State Senator from Chicago (see sidebar). After delivering the keynote address at the national convention in July, Obama became an instant star within the Democratic Party. He is favored to defeat his Republican rival, Alan Keyes.

But Republicans have a good chance of gaining a seat by ousting Tom Daschle, who has represented South Dakota in the Senate for nearly 20 years. As the Senate Minority Leader, Daschle is one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington, D.C. But he is locked in an intense battle with former Republican Representative John Thune.

"Democrats need to hold that seat to retake the Senate," says Lichtman. "They're putting a lot of resources into South Dakota because Daschle's the Senate Democratic leader. If he loses, that would be a black eye for the Democrats."

Races for Governor

Voters in 11 states will elect Governors. Republican Governors currently outnumber Democrats 28 to 22, but that could shift on Election Day. Races in North Carolina and Indiana are expected to be especially tight.

While these candidates are eyeing their State Houses, history shows that some may see it as a path to the White House. Four of our last five Presidents were Governors.

Getting Involved

Many kids have volunteered to help candidates in their area get elected. Since last May, 14-year-old Niger Washington of Zion, Illinois, has worked in Barack Obama's office, answering phones and preparing posters and voter registration forms. "When I met him," Niger says, "I felt it was one of the best moments of my life. He cares about children, and he's an optimist."

Is there a candidate who represents your views? How could you help this individual get elected?

Why Politics?

When he was a young boy, Barack Obama wanted to be an astronaut "like everyone else," he says.

Today, Obama has his sights set on becoming a U.S. Senator from Illinois. He entered politics because he believed that "the way our society is structured is unfair" to children, minorities, women, and the poor. Obama encourages kids to become aware of the issues "because politics really ends up having an impact on your lives, whether you like it or not." For example, "if you look at who makes decisions about how much money will be going to [public schools], that's a political decision."

To read more about Obama's conversation with Scholastic Student Reporters Ivonne Benetiz, 14, and Mitchel Hochberg, 12, go to www.scholastic.com/juniorscholastic.