The 2022 Midterm Elections arrived after months of anticipation, and the results proved to be surprising to many. After the predicted “red wave” fell short, both sides of the aisle saw some good results. However, the party that is more pleased with the results is the Democratic Party. A strong defensive hold for the Democrats proved to be one of the biggest surprises from the Midterm Elections.

Starting with the Senate races, key wins for the Democrats in states such as: New Hampshire, Nevada, Arizona, and Pennsylvania all allowed for the Democrats to retain their majority in the US Senate. Many races were predicted to be very close, and one race in Georgia will be heading to a runoff on December 6th. That race will be closely watched as it will determine whether the senate is 50-50 or if the Democrats can expand their majority to a 51-49 lead. 

Voters faced many issues on the ballot, but the primary issue for voters was extremely wide ranging. The Republican Party voted on things like crime, and things that could affect the economy. While the Democratic Party voted on abortion rights and gun control. Each party had past presidents come out to rallies for candidates, but the results from the voters may have shown that moderate Republicans are ready to move on from 2020 election conspiracies. 

While the House of Representatives is not fully complete, it appears that the Republican Party will win the House which was expected. The victory will only be by a few seat majority, which was actually not predicted by many. At first it seemed like the Republican party would make a total sweep on the House. The midterms during President Obama’s first presidential term caused him to lose 63 seats. After the Midterms during Trump’s first term, he lost 40 seats. To the shock of many political strategists around the country, President Biden is projected to lose a little under 10 seats, which few predicted. The House of Representative results were good for both parties after all, the Democrats put up a strong defense and only lost a few seats, and the Republicans gained back the House, even if only by a few seats. 

The other important elections that were happening were statewide elections. Many high profile Governor  races were up for grabs. Similar to the House, both parties got wins that they desperately wanted in the Governor races. Republicans were able to retain the Governor seats in Georgia, Texas, and Florida after what looked to be tough opposition from the Democratic challengers. The Democrats received key victories in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Those races particularly in Arizona and Pennsylvania were key for the Democrats as the opponents were 2020 election deniers. 

The 2022 Midterm Elections showed how the American public were feeling and the message was clearly sent to representatives from all states on both sides: do better. While yes, all the votes are not fully counted and a high profile senate race still has to go to a runoff, the results of the midterms were important. Not to mention, they revealed where this country could be headed in the next two years.