2018 Election Analysis
What Results Mean for Your Industry
As the dust settles on a campaign cycle that was unprecedented in many ways, we have composed this biennial post-election analysis to assist our clients in assessing the potential impact of the elections on their organizations and their industries. From large corporations to small nonprofits, from urban centers to rural communities, the 2018 elections will have an impact across all sectors of the economy and globally as well.
Democrats Take Back the House
We expect robust legislative activity as well as significant attention to regulatory agencies, given the philosophical differences among the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate, the Senate Democrats (who can use parliamentary procedures to assert themselves each day), and the Trump Administration.
There was a mixed bag of results, with both sides claiming to have succeeded. The President touted his role in expanding the Senate Republican majority, while Democrats celebrated winning back the
House and praised the effort to defend 26 Senate seats, including several in red states, without greater losses. Earlier in the cycle, some Republicans had commented about the possibility of hitting the magic 60 vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, so that is the backdrop against which we should look at the final results. (We note that in the next cycle, Senate Republicans will have to defend 22 seats, compared with 12 for the Democrats.)
Our Washington Insiders React
“There will be talk about ‘gridlock,’ but even in that climate, there are opportunities to get things done. Fixing bad legislation, improving existing legislation, and writing new legislation; all of these actions are possible, even when the political parties don’t get along. But it requires skilled strategy and advice from those who know how the system works and how to get things done during a challenging time.”
Former Sen. Byron Dorgan
Government Relations Practice Co-Chair
“While the struggle between the parties will continue around tax reform, healthcare and immigration issues, there is still a common interest in moving forward on infrastructure programs, opioid abuse prevention, some more consensus-driven healthcare programs, appropriations, and national defense. The Administration will continue to pursue its trade agenda with or without congressional engagement. The public will not tolerate inertia, and lawmakers will find that voters will lose patience with continued infighting.”
Former Rep. Philip S. English
Government Relations Practice Co-Chair
