House, Senate control uncalled as "Red Wave" recedes
Record high turnout leads to status quo midterm
Control of the House and Senate remain uncalled Wednesday morning as talks of a “Republican wave” continue to diminish.
Democrats picked up a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania and currently lead in Arizona. Republicans are projected to hold on in Wisconsin and they are currently ahead in Nevada, with Georgia once again poised for a runoff.
In the House, Democrats picked up two competitive seats in Ohio and easily flipped a Grand Rapids-area seat in Michigan. Republicans had a surprisingly strong showing in New York, with DCCC chairman Sean Patrick Maloney appearing to lose re-election Tuesday night.
Trump-backed election deniers are struggling in governor races, losing key races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and New York, with Kari Lake locked in a tight race in Arizona.
It was a surprisingly strong night for Democrats, who appear to have overcome a historical disadvantage. The party in power is usually dealt a net loss of House seats in midterm election.
As Americans face an inflationary economy, Republicans campaigned heavily on pocket book issues. They argued that the record-high inflation is being caused by the Democrats’ big spending plans. They also tried tying their Democratic opponents to President Joe Biden, who faces low approval ratings.
Democrats tried to make the election about social issues following the reversal of federal abortion protections by the U.S. Supreme Court. They also tried to campaign on issues of democracy as the country still grapples with the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol attack.
Tuesday’s results continue to show an electorate that is angry and divided. Voters in both parties turned out in record numbers for a midterm election, which resulted in a largely status quo result.
While Republicans are still on track to win the House, it won’t be the 25-30 seat net gain that they have been salivating about. And the party’s path to a Senate majority is now much tougher following their loss in Pennsylvania.