By Samarth Desu ‘19, Staff Writer

Have you ever seen a donkey and an elephant fight? If you have, you know that there is no clear winner: in fact, the champion changes as frequently as every 2 years. This year, the donkey took home the prize. About a month ago, the United States saw one of its largest voter turnouts in recent history. The spike in casted ballots appeared to help the Democrats take over the House for the first time in 4 years. But what exactly does this shift in power mean?

A Blue House means that Democratic party holds more than half of all the seats in the House of Representatives. Typically, this means that a leftist agenda is pushed in legislation. However, this new House is different. The previous House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, is poised to be the next Speaker of the House, but she may have to convince members of her own party first. The newly elected Democrats are not just after progressive reform: some seek a complete shake up in leadership. However, such a goal may be too ambitious for now.

Although a shake up in leadership within the Democratic House may be in sight, the current Red majority will most likely take advantage of their position in the near future by pushing bills on everything from oil subsidies to comprehensive immigration checks. However, the clock is ticking. After January 3rd, the day that the new members start into the house, the Democratic majority is set to propose sweeping changes in environmental policy and gun regulations. While there is no uniform opinion on leadership, the identity of the new group of Democrats appears intact.

There is an unparalleled diversity within the new Blue House–it is comprised, according to the New York Times, of nearly 20% women along with 102 people of color and 7 members that identify as part of the LGBTQ community. The new degree of diversity will result in a more flexible school of thought, with a wider range of legislation being passed, especially with regard to healthcare. After asking a senior to comment on the Democratic majority she replied, “pretty sick”. However, senior Zach Kessel quickly pointed out aspects of the new House he anticipates, “The new Democrat majority in the House will, if nothing else, mean more oversight on the President. Representative Adam Schiff, who will most likely be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee in January, has already said that he will lead an investigation into the President’s personal finances.”

Freshman members may only deepen the divide. Though comprehensive legislation is poised to pass the House, these laws will not necessarily see the light of day. President Trump holds a strong allegiance to issues ranging from the Second Amendment to growth in the coal mining industry, and he is not afraid to veto any reforms that contradict his stances. The Democrats won, but that may not indicate a change in D.C. It appears the growing political disunity on Capitol Hill may prevent either side from enacting its legislation.