The results of Tuesday’s midterm elections showed the nation continues to be divided, as Republican efforts to pick up a number of seats in Congress resulted in modest gains.
The disappointing results come after polls had indicated the GOP would pick up as many as 35 seats. As the night drew on, Biden’s dismal approval numbers were not having as much of a negative impact on Democratic candidates as many were expecting.
Republican Senator Lindsay Graham said Tuesday’s voting results was “Definitely not a Republican wave, that’s for darn sure.”
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Wednesday, “When you wake up, we will be in the majority and Nancy Pelosi will be in the minority.”
Mayra Flores (R-TX) lost her House seat said, “Republicans and Independents stayed home. DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RESULTS IF YOU DID NOT DO YOUR PART!”
However, Republicans saw big wins come out of Florida. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis roundly defeated Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by 19 points. Republican Senator Marco Rubio retained his seat, beating Democrat challenger Val Demmings.
In North Carolina, Republican Representative Ted Budd won the state’s Senate seat against Democratic Cheri Beasley by 4.3 points. Budd said during his acceptance speech, “I want to make the Old North State that much better again.”
In the early morning hours on Wednesday, Democrat John Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz in the race for Pennsylvania Senate.
Georgia’s Senate seat is expected to head for a December runoff election, as Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker are in a virtual tie.
Additional senate seats that could further determine power in Congress are:
- Wisconsin: Incumbent Republican Ron Johnson vs. Democrat Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes
- Nevada: Republican challenger Adam Laxalt vs. incumbent Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Mastro.
- Arizona: Republican challenger Blake Masters vs. incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.
