On November 22, 2022, the AmCham Germany Regional Chapter Baden-Württemberg came together for an Insights Webinar on the topic of “Unwinding the Outcome of the Midterm Elections: Who Won? Why? And What Will be the Consequences for Politics in Washington and Transatlantic Relations Overall?” with guest speaker Scott Horton, Attorney and Journalist.
The discussion was opened by Meike Grisson, Managing Partner at Joe Communications GmbH, and introductory and welcome remarks were given by Prof. Gerhard Wegen, Senior Partner at Gleiss Lutz and Chair of the AmCham Germany Regional Chapter Baden-Württemberg, who gave the floor to Scott Horton. The presentation itself centered around the results of the recent U.S. Midterm Elections held in early November 2022. The Democrats came through with a much more positive result than many experts expected, retaining control over the Senate but losing control of the House. Some of the key issues discussed were: the rising inflation and economic situation, the recent Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade, climate change, border security, gerrymandering, and more. Scott Horton found that the issue of abortion was a unique occurrence in these midterm elections that drove many voters to the polls, particularly in favor for the Democrats. Now that Congress is split, Horton also stressed the importance of avoiding not only a legislative stillstand, but moreover a budgetary stillstand.
Regarding the transatlantic relationship and key issues that could impact the U.S.-EU cooperation, Horton noted the ongoing war in Ukraine, the COP27 agenda and decarbonization, and trade issues. Overall, there is a strong push from both sides of the Atlantic, also with the incoming US Congress, for more transatlantic cooperation and standard setting, especially with eyes on China.
Thank you to our speaker, Scott Horton, and to all of our participants in our lively discussion.
