MAIN DETERMINANTS OF THE 2022 US CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
Authors:   Mariupol State University, Trofymenko A. , Luchakova E. ,   Mariupol State University
Published: August 2024

Relations with the USA since Ukraine gained independence have been one of the priorities of the state's foreign policy due to a number of geopolitical, economic, security and other factors. Since the beginning of Russian aggression in 2014, the United States has turned into one of the main strategic partners of Ukraine, and with the beginning of a large-scale war in 2022, the United States plays a key role in its foreign policy strategy, given the unprecedented economic and military aid. The war issue in Ukraine, given the significant US support.is the center of political discussions in this state, especially during election campaigns, since no political force can ignore it and not include in the election platform. Therefore, it is vital for Ukraine to cooperate with both leading parties of the USA, to ensure constant support and allocation of aid regardless of the configuration of political forces in the Congress. These circumstances determine the relevance of the study of the main factors affecting the elections to the Congress and the role of the Russia-Ukraine war in the pre-election processes. Thus, the purpose of this article is to establish the main determinants of the US Congress elections in 2022. It is determined that the US electoral system has unique features and institutions such as the Electoral College, the primaries, caucuses, etc. The course of elections is significantly determined by the specifics of the electoral system and electoral culture. It is pointed out that Republican identity and more traditional moral views are most common among older, white, religious, affluent, and married respondents, mostly men. On the other hand, Democratic and progressive political views are more common among minorities, younger respondents who are not married, secular or less religious, low-income people, and women. Among the trends in the development of US electoral processes, such phenomena as "negative commitment" and "expansion of the conflict" stand out. The first one forces people to refuse to communicate with each other due to different political views, and the second is characterized by party absorption of issues and strong party identification. And at the same time, in the last three elections held in the USA, a record voter turnout was observed. In addition to these traditional determinants of the American electoral process, the following factors determining the course of the midterm elections to the US Congress in 2022 can also be identified: the pool of the most discussed topics (the right to abortion, high taxes, inflation, social security, the war in Ukraine), big interest in the elections, stratification of society according to party identifications, preservation of an ideological view of politics, trust in electoral institutes. Although the US foreign policy on Ukraine was not a central topic, it was constantly discussed by the parties and attracted the attention of citizens due to its relevance. In the course of the election campaign, the war issue in Ukraine became relevant, discussions about the strategy of waging the war, additional methods of support, the new world order and the role of the United States in it, etc. intensified. Both parties generally promoted mostly positive messages for Ukraine and contributed to strengthening the country's image in the eyes of the American public. Key words: elections, electoral culture, electoral system, Congress, war in Ukraine, electoral institutions.