Debate Between Iranian-American Citizens on Congressional Midterm Elections

American citizens will head to the polls on the morning of Tuesday, November 6, corresponding to Aban 15, to participate in the U.S. midterm congressional elections. The purpose of this voting is to determine the fate of 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate. Currently, the Republican Party (the party supporting the administration of Donald Trump, the President of the United States) holds both the majority in the House of Representatives and the majority of Senate seats. Republicans have 235 seats in the House, while Democrats have only 193 seats, with 7 seats vacant. Simultaneously, Republicans have 51 senators in the Senate against Democrats who hold 37 Senate seats; 2 senators are independent of both parties. Democrats face a significant challenge in defending 26 Senate seats in the 2018 midterm elections, while Republicans are trying to maintain only 9 of their seats in the Senate. Estimates suggest a likelihood of Democratic victories in the House of Representatives. However, these same estimates indicate a strengthening of Republican influence in the Senate. Why has this year's midterm campaign been so heated, according to U.S. media? What do Iranian-Americans think about this electoral competition? And to what extent will the outcome of this election affect Tehran-Washington relations? Radio Farda has shared these questions with two Iranian-American voters. Mandana Zandkarimi, a Republican voter in Maryland, and Rasool Nafisi, an independent voter in Virginia who will vote for Democratic candidates, are the guests of this week's program. Ms. Zandkarimi states that her primary goal in voting for Republican candidates in this election is the improvement of the economy during Donald Trump's presidency and helping to reduce the national debt and budget deficit, along with addressing unemployment and increasing income. The second priority is to resolve the immigration issue correctly through legal reform. Mr. Nafisi states that in addition to economic issues, from the Democrats' perspective, addressing public health issues left over from the previous Obama administration is fundamental. Furthermore, controlling the purchase of various automatic weapons, managing immigration issues, the increasing influence of conservative judges in the Supreme Court, environmental concerns, and combating isolationism in Washington's foreign policy are also significant topics. We invite you to listen to this challenging debate.