What a night it was!
The results of the 2022 election are in, despite the fact that there are still many contests that have not been called, and they were not what most political handicappers had predicted.
Democrats, who were anticipated to lose a significant amount of seats in the House, seem to have held their own, but it still appears likely that they will become the minority.
Democrats presently hold one Senate seat, in Pennsylvania. However, all eyes are on Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin, which are all too close to call.
I’ve highlighted some of the biggest winners and losers from the preliminary results of the midterm elections below. I’ll continue to update who had fantastic nights and who is leaving dissatisfied as more results come in.
WINNERS
* Ron DeSantis: The Florida governor was a huge bright spot in a night that was mostly disappointing for Republicans. To win a second term, he totally destroyed former governor Charlie Crist. DeSantis’ national prospects may likely be boosted by the victory and the margin of victory because it enables him to claim that he can accomplish what he just did in Florida on a national level. Following his victory, DeSantis drew sweeping conclusions, referring to it as a “win for the ages” (I mean…) and characterising Florida as the “place where woke goes to die.” (Alrighty.) The Republican Party is now waiting to see what DeSantis will do next as he has proven to be a politician with momentum following the election.
* Josh Shapiro: On Tuesday, Shapiro easily won the Pennsylvania governor’s election, establishing himself as one of the party’s up-and-coming rock stars. Shapiro is intelligent and outspoken, and his appeal to voters in a swing state has been well proved. Election security also benefits from Shapiro’s victory. The state’s chief elections officer is chosen by the governor of Pennsylvania, and Shapiro’s rival, Republican Doug Mastriano, was a critic of the 2020 election.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Republicans would be well on their way to enjoying a comfortable cushion of seats in the majority if they had realised the wave that so many of them were forecasting in the run-up to the election. But it doesn’t seem like that’s what’s occurring nationally. A slim Republican majority appears to be the most likely result, however there are still several important races in which it is still too early to make a prediction. For Greene and the other members of the House Freedom Caucus, it would be excellent news. Greene and her ilk would be able to hold out their support to the Republican leadership in order to extract concessions and gain leverage because that group constitutes a reliable bloc of votes. In that case, the incoming speaker of the Republican Party, who is likely to be Kevin McCarthy, would have to win over the Freedom Caucus before taking any significant votes.
* Simon Rosenberg: A seasoned Democratic strategist, Rosenberg was adamant that a string of Republican-sponsored polls that shifted polling averages in the GOP’s favour during the closing weeks of the election were to blame for the seeming Republican surge. He was accurate. Period.
* Gretchen Whitmer: During her first time as governor of Michigan, she experienced both highs and lows. However, she defeated Republican Tudor Dixon on Tuesday with ease, and as of Wednesday morning, she held a roughly 10-point lead. Whitmer, who was a candidate for Joe Biden’s 2020 vice presidential selection, has established herself as a major player in the Democratic Party’s future.
* Sarah Huckabee Sanders: The former press secretary for Donald Trump won Arkansas’ general election with a resounding victory. She will be the state’s next governor. that was anticipated. Watch to see what Sanders tries to broaden her appeal beyond the boundaries of the state right now. She is undoubtedly someone who appears likely to eventually join the field of potential national candidates.
LOSERS
*** Donald Trump *** It’s difficult to fathom how the former president’s situation could get any worse on Tuesday night. His frequently prophesied Republican wave failed to sweep the nation, and one of the major election-day stories was the ascent of DeSantis. (Not to add that two Republicans who have angered Trump, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, won reelection.) And it’s obvious that Trump is becoming anxious about DeSantis because he warned him on Tuesday about the 2024 presidential election. Nothing, not even the results from last night, in my opinion, will alter Trump’s course in 2024. But despite all of his bluster—and there will be plenty of it—it is obvious that Tuesday night did not turn out to be what Trump had planned.
* Beto O’Rourke: After failing to unseat Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday night, O’Rourke has now lost three elections in a row: 1) The campaign for Ted Cruz’s Senate seat in 2018; 2) the Democratic presidential primary in 2020; and 3) the 2022 governor’s race. Similar to baseball, in politics you often get three strikes and you’re out. O’Rourke is unlikely to be allowed to run for another office in the near future, which would be a remarkable decline for someone who was once thought to be a rising Democratic star.
* Stacey Abrams: Speaking of stars who have waned, the Georgia Democrat was soundly defeated in the election for governor because she was unable to build the coalition that helped her come so close to winning four years earlier. Abrams, who won the first round and became the Democratic Party’s darling across the country, appears far less spectacular this time around. Furthermore, it’s difficult to see where she might begin a political comeback after suffering two defeats in her most recent contests.
* Charlie Crist: It’s difficult to think that Democrats aren’t regretting their choice to put the former Republican governor up as their candidate to face DeSantis. Crist, who was defeated by Rick Scott for governor in 2014, never stood a chance against DeSantis and offered hardly any opposition throughout the campaign. It appears that Crist’s time in Florida politics is coming to an end.
Kev McCarthy Yes, it seems a little strange that the man in the loser category could end up becoming the next speaker of the House. But think about the situation McCarthy would find himself in if the Republicans took control of the House and chose him to be their leader: a potentially small majority that would be greatly influenced by, or at least controlled by, the most extremist members of his party. Marjorie Taylor Greene is mentioned above. These forces would continue to exert considerable influence over each vote that McCarthy would attempt to take. It would be difficult to accomplish anything, much less the things that the House Freedom Caucus may advocate for, like impeaching Biden.
* Republican Senate map expansion: During the late stages of the campaign, several Republican Senate strategists thought that they might be able to play three reach states – New Hampshire, Colorado, and Washington – to increase their chances of winning the majority. In the end, none of the three races were even remotely competitive. All of the Democratic incumbents not only won, but as of Wednesday morning, they all had a significant advantage.
* Election sceptics: Several prominent election sceptics who were running for governor around the nation lost their races. Tim Michels was defeated in Wisconsin. In Michigan, Dixon was unsuccessful. In Pennsylvania, Mastriano was defeated. Dan Cox in Maryland is similar. Darren Bailey in Illinois, as well. Republican Kari Lake is lagging in the Arizona governor’s race, while AWN has not declared a winner.
