Midterm Election Update

On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Americans went to the polls to choose local political officials and state legislators. Americans voted on laws and state constitutional amendments. Some states also chose governors. Going into the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats held a majority in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, but only by the thinnest of margins: one seat in the Senate, and seven in the House. Now, more than a week after Election Day, several key races remain undecided. Election Central takes a closer look at the situation. 

Who Controls the House? 

As of Thursday, November 17, Republicans have obtained a majority in the House of Representatives. Two hundred and eighteen seats are needed for the majority. Currently, there are 218 House races have been called for Republicans and 210 for Democrats. Seven races remain undecided. It appears that even though Republicans will gain the majority, it will be a very slight one. Democrat Nancy Pelosi of California will no longer be House Majority Leader. She served as the Democrat’s Majority Leader from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2022. Republican Kevin McCarthy has been chosen by the GOP to be the new Majority Leader in the House of Representatives.  

Who Controls the Senate? 

Currently, the Senate results are even closer: 49 races have been called for Republicans, and 50 for Democrats. This total includes two Independent senators, who vote with the Democrats. It appears that the Senate will remain under Democrat control. The contest for one of Georgia’s senators will be concluded in a runoff vote on December 6th. Neither Democrat Raphael Warnock nor Republican Hershel Walker received fifty percent of the vote. Democrats will maintain control of the Senate, but only by a single seat if Walker wins. 

Evaluating the Results 

Historically,  the party that controls the White House loses significant seats in Congress at the midterms. Democrats did lose control of the House of Representatives, but the number of seats lost was less than predicted before the election occurred.  Record-high inflation and President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings did not affect voters to the degree that had been predicted. 

In Pennsylvania, Democrat John Fetterman won a Republican Senate seat by defeating Mehmet Oz. Fetterman won 51 percent of the votes to Oz’s 46.6 percent. In the Arizona governor’s race, Democrat Katie Hobbs was chosen over Republican and Fox News anchor Kari Lake, 50.3 percent to 49.6 percent. Also in Arizona, Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly beat Republican challenger Blake Masters, 51.4 percent to 46.5 percent.  

Some Republican candidates that were personally endorsed by former President Donald Trump lost. This includes Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Kari Lake in Arizona. But Ohio convincingly chose new senator JD Vance, who was supported by Trump’s campaign efforts. Vance defeated Tim Ryan 53 percent to 46 percent. North Carolina’s Ted Budd also won his House race against Cheri Beasley. Budd benefitted from Trump’s endorsement. Trump’s ability to lend his political support to many Republican candidates was the topic of much speculation in the weeks before Election Day. Immediate result evaluations indicate thatTrump was not helpful to most of his endorsed candidates. 

Dig Deeper If Republicans and Democrats each win fifty seats in the Senate, Democrats still have control. Why?