The Turkish community in the United States will consider the path of the world’s largest economy as well as relations with Türkiye when they head to polls this week for the pivotal 2022 midterm elections, its members say.
The polls will determine whether Republicans recapture control of Congress, where President Joe Biden’s Democrats hold majorities in both houses. Also at stake is Biden’s agenda for the two years remaining in his term.
Ahead of Tuesday’s midterms, surveys have shown that inflation, which runs at its highest levels since the early 1980s, and the economy are far and away the most pressing issues among those who say they are likely to vote.
In addition to concerns over economic issues, members of the Turkish community living in New Jersey will have one more thing on their mind: The current administration’s relations and policies toward their homeland.
Although some say they would not be closely following the elections, other Turks in New Jersey’s Paterson town think of going to the polls in the state where Democrats hold the majority.
Democrats’ foothold in the state weakened during the 2020 presidential elections and Republicans are now estimated to increase their votes even further.
Hüseyin Bayram, a businessperson in Paterson, a city where a large Muslim population lives, says the Turkish community should show greater interest in elections to ensure their presence is widely felt.
"We have gone a long way to create an infrastructure in this area for years, but at the end of the day, politicians are interested in the number of crowds you bring in front of them," Bayram told Anadolu Agency (AA).
"By looking at the records, they can see which society voted at what rate. We should make our presence felt in the elections by voting more."
Bayram, who serves as a cultural ambassador and a commission member in Paterson, expects tough head-to-head elections in the state where Democrats dominate but where the Turkish community still shows interest in both wings.
Republicans could stage a "surprise" as they have put forth "strong candidates," says Bayram, stressing a public expectation that the rate of Republican voters would be higher than before.
Overall, Republicans stand a strong chance of taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, while Democrats retain a slim hope of keeping a majority in the Senate.
Republican control of either would be enough to derail most legislation Biden and his fellow Democrats want to enact and propel a flood of congressional probes of his administration.
The party in power typically loses House seats halfway through a president’s four-year term. With a number of close races, it could take days to know the final balance of power.
Bayram stressed that the polls he says have the potential to reshape the Senate and the House are of particular importance since some important local administrators such as governors, sheriffs and district attorneys would also be voted for in some states.
He also dubbed them "a chance" for the Turkish community "to strengthen its ties with the local governments with which it is more conversant."
Distance to U.S. politics
In contrast to those closely following the developments, there is also a noteworthy number of members of the Turkish community in Paterson that is not very interested in the elections,
While most say that they are not interested enough in U.S. politics and do not have the necessary knowledge about it, some tradespeople and workers say that they could not devote time to participating in political activities and following the agenda due to their busy working hours.
Vedat Çubukçu, who runs a restaurant, says U.S. politics is very different from one in Türkiye and people are not very political.
According to Çubukçu, politics for voters in the U.S. consists more of voting on election day, but other than that, people who are directly interested are "taking part in more active organizations."
He stressed that most of Turkish society in Paterson leans toward Democrats, whom he himself says will opt for due to their more moderate approach when it comes to immigration policies.
Çubukçu foresees a closely contested election he says would still see Democrats get most of the votes.
‘Messed up’ economy
Halis Çarıkçı, who arrived in the U.S. 14 years ago from Türkiye’s central province of Konya, says he disapproved of Democrats’ policies toward his home country.
This is what Çarıkçı says will make him, as well as most of the other members, shift away from the current administration toward candidates who are close to former President Donald Trump.
The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies Türkiye and the U.S. has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past years over disagreements on many issues, including Syria and Ankara’s closer ties with Russia.
Çarıkçı also said he did not find the Democrats successful when it comes to the economy.
"Inflation has increased too much here. We used to fill up our fridge for $100. Now you can only buy two bags of goods," he told AA.
Tuncay Göçenler, a truck driver, says he will not cast vote, but stresses that "Trump will get it this time. Because Biden has messed up the economy a lot," particularly complaining about surging fuel prices.
"The round trip from New Jersey to California used to cost $4,000-$5,000 for gasoline, now it costs $10,000," Göçenler said.
Having his party’s electoral hopes hammered by voter concerns about high inflation, Biden’s public approval rating has remained below 50% for more than a year, coming in at around 40% in recent polls.
Biden last week declared inflation as his number one priority, stressing he was taking citizens’ economic concerns seriously.
He has also warned of what Democrats say are the dangers that Republicans backed by Trump pose to U.S. democracy.
Selçuk Turan, who came from Türkiye back in 1969, says he believes the economy and security concerns would dominate the voters’ choices.
"Everyone has children who go to school. Even the kids have guns. In a place like America, these things need to be prevented," emphasizing the need to revise the law on the acquisition of arms.