Nigeria, Oct. 26 -- On Tuesday, 3 November, Americans will vote in what is known as the midterm elections. In addition to a slew of elections at the municipal levels and a broad range of citizen and legislatively referred initiatives, voters will have their say on all 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate (including two special elections) and for 36 state governors, amongst others.

Yet, the one name that is not on the ballot, that of the US president, looms large over this cycle. Historically, midterm elections have been difficult for the president's party. Indeed, over the last 22 US midterm elections, from 1934 to 2022, the president's party gained seats in the House of...