Midterm Elections 2022

Sarah Baer and Elliott Yarborough|November 18, 2022

It’s election season and the good of our country hangs in the balance of the New York Times Needle. Or at least it feels like it. This election season has been especially intense because of highly polarized issues such as abortion rights and affirmative action which will likely be addressed in the next congressional term. We will be providing a quick summary of some key races, but we encourage everyone to do further research!

Here’s what we’ve learned so far:

  • Representation is increasing in both parties. Alabama will have its first elected female senator, Arkansas will have its first elected female governor, and California will have its first Latino senator. The first out LGBTQ immigrant has been elected to congress, and Florida elected the first Gen-Z member of congress. Massachusetts made history by electing the first out lesbian governor. This year, for the first time in US history, two states, Arkansas and Massachusetts, will have women serving as both lieutenant governor and governor. Overall, there are now 12 female governors serving at one time, breaking the previous record of 9. 

House:

As of today, November 16th, the Republicans have won the house with 218 seats to the Democrat’s 210. The Democrats have lost a total of 8 seats which was expected because typically the party who wins the presidential race then loses seats in the following midterm. Due to pressing issues such as inflation, interest rates, and possible economic warfare with Russia the Republican control of the House will be influential.

California:

  • California is one of the remaining three states that still has votes being counted for the house of representatives. Currently, there are three districts in California whose races are still being decided. Out of those three districts, republicans are in the lead for two of the races. Republicans John Durate and David Valadao both hold over 50% of the vote however there are still a large number of votes that are yet to be reported. Democrat Kaite Porter leads the race for the third and final seat in California.

Colorado:

  • Colorado is another state that still has a race that is undecided. Currently, republican Lauren Boebert leads the race with 50.2% of the vote and 99% of the votes reported. It is likely that Boebert will pick up the seat considering that most of the votes have been counted. This will increase the Republican majority in the House. 

Alaska:

  • The last of the three states with a house of representatives seat yet to be determined is Alaska. Most likely forgotten about for its small size, Alaska only has one seat which is likely to be won by Democrat Mary Peltola who has a staggering 22% lead over her Republican opponent Sarah Palin. The race has yet to be called because of Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system. This system requires Peltola to receive 50% of the votes to avoid a second round. She is currently at 48.1% with 90% reporting. 

Senate:

Polling predictions believed that there would be a red wave, but the election results say otherwise. The Democrats won a majority in the senate due to the vice president’s, Kamala Harris, tie-breaking vote. This is a big win for the Democrats since the senate approves presidential judicial and cabinet nominations. While the supreme court is majority conservative, improving the blue ratio within lower courts could foresee big wins for the Democrats. The race for senate majority was extremely close, but the Democratic overtake may be due to the increase in young voting participation. This highlights the importance of younger votes; every vote matters no matter your party affiliation. We encourage everyone to register to vote next spring!

Georgia:

  • In Georgia, a pivotal senatorial race will be determined in a runoff on December 6th. Republican candidate Herschel Walker and incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock were unable to acquire the necessary 50% plus one vote required to win the election. This race is incredibly important for the Republicans and Democrats, the latter of which are currently behind 48-49 in the Senate. The Democrats only need 50 seats to gain control of the senate while the Republicans need 51. 

 

Pennsylvania:

  • Pennsylvania is home to the only current senatorial flip in the midterms. Lieutenant governor John Fetterman defeated Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz with a 51.1% majority vote. Dr. Oz conceded the election last Wednesday saying that “we are facing big problems as a country and we need everyone to put down their partisan swords and focus on getting the job done.” Fetterman promised to be the Democrats “51st vote” to pass foundational legislation to protect rights to abortion, health care, same-sex marriage, unions, and voting, as well as to raise the minimum wage. Pennsylvania is a huge pick up for the Democrats considering that they are defending in this election.

Nevada: 

  • The Democrats won Nevada, securing a majority in the senate last Saturday. Democrat nominee Catherine Cortez Masto defeated GOP challenger Adam Laxalt. It was a narrow race with Masto winning 48.9% of the votes and Laxalt winning 48%. This Democrat win is partly due to the increase in youth voter turnout. Early voter estimates suggest that the turnout was the 2nd highest in decades, only championed by the 2018 elections between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. About 27% of eligible voters between the ages of 18-29 cast a ballot this year. There was even a greater turnout in competitive swing states such as Nevada. 

Governor: 

The Democrats flipped 3 states (Arizona, Maryland, and Massachusetts) while the Republicans flipped Nevada in the gubernatorial races. The Republicans have 25 total seats while the Democrats have 24 seats. The Republicans lost 2 seats while the Democrats gained 2. Alaska has yet to be called but it looks like the Republican candidate will win. 

South Carolina:

  • For South Carolina, the incumbent Republican candidate, Henry McMaster, won reelection over the Democratic candidate, Joe Cunningham. McMaster’s reelection will make him the longest-serving governor in SC history. It may come as a surprise, but the Republican governor won 34 out of 46 SC counties. He flipped 4 rural counties which he previously lost in the 2018 elections. In the days prior to the election, Cunningham promised a bi-partisan cabinet but it seems that these promises were unsuccessful in swaying Republican voters. McMaster campaigned on the success of SC economy and his promise during Covid-19 to not impose strict restrictions unlike his opponent, Joe Cunningham. The spotlight will be on McMaster in the coming months as we nationally combat inflation, increasing interest rates, and continued supply chain problems. McMaster and the SC Department of Employment and Workforce just announced tax cuts for SC businesses that will come in 2023. “Today’s announcement will save South Carolina’s businesses millions of dollars, allowing them to create new jobs for people and invest more in their companies and communities,” said Governor Henry McMaster. In the coming days before election day, anxiety ran through the LQBTQ+ community due to McMasters comments on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. He states “Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I think marriage ought to be between a man and a woman”. He later says “Gay marriage in our constitution is not allowed and in state law is not allowed”. His next term will tell how far he is willing to go with these claims; political participation will be essential in order to evoke change or continue SC practices. 

Florida:

  • Florida’s gubernatorial race marks a pivotal moment for the Republican party. Florida experienced a deep red win with the re-election of Ron DeSantis which poses future questions on the 2024 presidential election. Unexpectedly, he beat Charlie Crist, his Democraict opponent, by 19 percentage points when in the 2018 elections he only won by half a percentage point. Additionally, he won 62/67 counties even seizing former Democratic holds such as Miami and Palm Beach. This sizable win foresees him as a competitive candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2024 elections, threatening Trump’s hold over Republican America. The Democrats have long capitalized on the Latino vote, but tensions may be building since DeSantis’s large win margins can somewhat be attributed to his popularity within the Floridian Latino community. He won 68% of the Cuban vote, 55% of the Puerto Rican vote, and 50% of other Latine groups.His campaign and political agenda success will be a motivating factor for his possible election as the Republican candidate in 2024. The next 2 years will reveal the political showdown between DeSantis and Trump. On November 15th, Trump announced that he will be running for election in 2024.

Arizona:

  • Democrat Katie Hobbs defeated the Republican candidate Kari Lake, a prominent supporter of Trump and the 2021 election conspiracies. Lake’s defeat followed the loss of 2 other election deniers in Arizona- Republican senate nominee Blake Masters and Frank Finchem the Secretary of State nominee. After the race was called Monday night, Hobbs tweeted “Democracy is worth the wait”. Resembling her election skepticism and in response to her loss Lake said “I don’t believe that people of Arizona would vote for her and that she would win. But if that’s what happens at the end of the day, how could you certify an election that is this botched?”. She claimed that Arizona was slow rolling in order to “delay the inevitable. They don’t want to put out the truth, which is that we won”. Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, found her comments offensive since “they are working 14-18 hours”. When campaigning, Hobbs, a former social worker who helped survivors of domestic abuse and state lawmaker, focused on issues such as democracy and abortion rights. This race demonstrated the failed nature of election conspiracy and Trump’s sponsorship of future elections.

We just provided a snippet of the elections that were called or are still counting during these midterms. This article does not encompass all important elections, so we encourage you to do your own research and learn who is representing you. Once again for anyone turning 18 in the coming months please register to vote this spring!