The Implications of November 8th, 2022
Elections & Politics Policy Brief #44 | By: Maureen Darby-Serson | November 10, 2022
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Photo taken from: Doug Mills / The New York Times
Policy Summary
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The elections on Tuesday November 8th, 2022, may be one of the most impactful elections we will have seen in our lifetime to date. With the US House of Representative and US Senate up for grabs, Democrats were preparing for the worst but hoped for the best.
It looks like they were met with results somewhere in the middle. History tells us that the political party that holds the presidency, which is the Democrats right now, tend to not do well in midterm elections. With the current numbers in the House and Senate and this historical fact, this means that the Democrats could have lost Congress and lost big. Many were expecting a “Red Wave”, where Republicans sweep elections and take over several seats. This did not occur this past Tuesday.
Of note, there are still some elections waiting to be decided. Namely, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. Georgia will likely see a run-off election in December as neither candidate reached the 50% threshold for votes. As of writing this article, the Senate is split with each party having 48 seats and the Republicans controlling the House with 208 seats versus the Democrats 188. But again, there are still some seats waiting to be decided.
Policy Analysis
This means a lot for President Joe Biden and his agenda. With the Republicans potentially controlling the House, he may not be able to get some of his agenda items on to the floor to be voted on and passed into law. This will make him look like an ineffective president, when, it is an ineffective government who is not willing to work with the other party for the good of the nation.
This also means that President Biden has made history with one of the best midterm elections a sitting president has seen in recent times. What does this mean? It could be several things. Many Trump-backed candidates did not win, so maybe people are tired of the Republican rhetoric.
Women came out to vote, maybe due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Younger people came out to vote, maybe because they are tired of not being heard on gun control.
Illustration by: Jeff Koterba
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Either way, this means good things for Democrats. Will this mean good things to come? We shall see in 2024.
Engagement Resources
Click or tap on resource URL to visit links where available
https://it.usembassy.gov/what-are-midterm-elections-and-why-are-they-important/
https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-live-updates-896439f8b5fe09824d8f6cd98580a051