On October 16, 2020, Gallup polling found that 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, 31% identified as Republican, and 36% as Independent.
In the United States, divided government describes a situation in which one party controls the executive branch while another party controls one or both houses of the legislative branch.
The winners of this election will serve in the 117th United States Congress, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 2010 United States Census. Democrats have held a majority in the House of Representatives since January 3, 2019, as a result of the 2018 elections, when they won 235 seats.
State with the most: California (53), same as in 2000. States with the fewest (only one district "at-large"): Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
The Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two senators from each State (therefore, the Senate currently has 100 Members) and that a senator must be at least thirty years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, be a resident of the State from which he or she
The Constitution sets three qualifications for service in the U.S. Senate: age (at least thirty years of age); U.S. citizenship (at least nine years); and residency in the state a senator represents at time of election.
| United States Senate |
|---|
| Majority Leader | Mitch McConnell (R) since January 3, 2015 |
| Minority Leader | Chuck Schumer (D) since January 3, 2017 |
| Majority Whip | John Thune (R) since January 3, 2019 |
| Minority Whip | Dick Durbin (D) since January 3, 2015 |
The Constitution provides for proportional representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the seats in the House are apportioned based on state population according to the constitutionally mandated Census.
November 7, 2006 — California Representative Nancy Pelosi and Nevada Senator Harry Reid lead the Democratic Party in taking control of both the House and the Senate in the 2006 congressional elections, the first time in 12 years the Democrats secure control of both houses of Congress simultaneously.
2016 United States Senate elections
| Leader | Mitch McConnell | Harry Reid (retired) |
| Party | Republican | Democratic |
| Leader's seat | Kentucky | Nevada |
| Seats before | 54 | 44 |
| Seats after | 52 | 46 |
It was the first time either party held a filibuster-proof 60% super majority in both the Senate and House chambers since the 89th United States Congress in 1965, and last time until the 111th United States Congress in 2009.
| 110th United States Congress |
|---|
| Senate Majority | Democratic (coalition) |
| House Majority | Democratic |
| Sessions |
| 1st: January 4, 2007 – December 19, 2007 2nd: January 3, 2008 – January 3, 2009 |
Majority Leaders of the House (1899 to present)
| Congress and Years | Name | Party |
|---|
| 113th (2013–2015) | CANTOR, Eric 12 | Republican |
| 113th (2013–2015) | MCCARTHY, Kevin 13 | Republican |
| 114th (2015–2017) | MCCARTHY, Kevin | Republican |
| 115th (2017–2019) | MCCARTHY, Kevin | Republican |
The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of the United States, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
2008 United States House of Representatives elections
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi | John Boehner |
| Party | Democratic | Republican |
| Leader since | January 3, 2003 | January 3, 2007 |
| Leader's seat | California 8th | Ohio 8th |
| Last election | 233 seats, 52.3% | 202 seats, 44.3% |
Republicans ended unified Democratic control of Congress and the presidency by winning a majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans gained seven seats in the Senate (including a special election held in January 2010) but failed to gain a majority in the chamber.
Requirements to Hold OfficeAccording to Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
The president is constitutionally required to be natural born, but foreign–born senators need only nine years of U.S. citizenship to qualify for office. Constitutional qualifications to be a senator are specified in Article I, section 3.
According to Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof for six Years.” The framers believed that in electing senators, state legislatures would cement their ties with the national government.
Connecticut Delegate Roger Sherman spoke of the necessity of regular elections during the Convention: “Representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. The Convention settled on two-year terms for Members of the House as a true compromise between the one- and three-year factions.
Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach a government official, in effect serving as prosecutor. The Senate has the sole power to conduct impeachment trials, essentially serving as jury and judge.
Members of Congress in both houses are elected by direct popular vote. Senators are elected via a statewide vote and representatives by voters in each congressional district. Congressional districts are apportioned to the states, once every ten years, based on population figures from the most recent nationwide census.
The qualifications for the House of Representatives or that they must be 25 years of age. They must have been a citizen of the United States for seven years and must be in inhabitant of the state from which elected. The qualifications for the senator are they must be 30 years of age.
Reapportionment. Which of the following groups has been historically underrepresented in Congress? Blacks.
These include the power to declare war, coin money, raise an army and navy, regulate commerce, establish rules of immigration and naturalization, and establish the federal courts and their jurisdictions.
