Peter Merrill, Campus Carrier news editor

Heath Hutcheson, Campus Carrier news editor

On Nov. 2, midterm elections were held in many states, including Georgia. Seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives were up for election as well as the Governor position and many lower-level appointments. 

In Georgia, Republican incumbent Brian Kemp defeated Democrat Stacy Abrams and was reelected as Governor. Republicans predominated in lower-level positions across Georgia as well in positions like Secretary of State, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and more. In District 14, the district that encompasses Rome, Republican incumbent Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated her opponent, Democrat Marcus Flowers. The senate race saw neither Democrat incumbent Raphael Warnock nor Republican Herschel Walker accrue 50% of the vote, and so a run-off election will be scheduled for Dec. 6. Warnock did secure more almost a percentage more of the vote than Walker, but fell short of the 50% required by .6%.

According to the Associated Press, the Warnock-Walker race is even more contentious than it might have been, as control of the Senate rests on this race. When the two independent senators who caucus with Democrats are included, the Democrats currently hold 50 seats plus Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie breaking vote. CNN reports that historically, the president’s party has done poorly during midterms, and pre-election polling seemed to indicate that this pattern would continue. Many analysts predicted a “red wave” in which control of Congress would be transferred to the Republicans. 

Sophomore Victoria Severiche said that she was somewhat disappointed with the midterm elections.

“I’m disappointed but not at all surprised,” Severiche said. “I’m grateful for the second chance to keep Walker out of office but not at all happy that Abrams lost again.” 

Although Republicans saw gains in the House of Representatives, they lost a seat to the Democrats in the Senate and overall preformed much worse than predicted. Currently, Democrats and Republicans each hold 48 seats, with 51 needed for a majority, but the two independent senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine, caucus with the Democrats. This means that if Herschel Walker does not triumph in the runoff election, the Senate will be Democratic for the remainder of President Joe Biden’s term. In the event of a completely split Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the final vote.

According to CNN, although there were not significantly more younger voters than average, with this year seeing 12% of voters under the age of 30 compared to the usual 11-13%, they were the key demographic that ensured Democratic success. House Democrat candidates polled 13 points above their Republican counterparts with young voters.

According to USA Today, most candidates who were backed by former President Donald Trump and supported his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him were defeated by their Democratic opponents. USA Today reports that Republican candidates who supported this conspiracy, like Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania, Bo Hines in North Carolina, and Lauren Boebert in Colorado performed poorly in their respective elections. In Georgia, conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene won reelection, but victories for Trump-supported candidates were few and far between.

Many analysts have turned their attention to the Republican Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, who won another term as Governor. According to Politico, DeSantis gained favor with Republicans by redrawing Florida’s congressional map in a very favorable way for Republicans, making Florida a decidedly red state, rather than a swing state as it has been historically. Fox News, which has traditionally backed the former president, has been showering DeSantis with praise and attributing Republican success in Florida to him. At the same time, Trump has rallied against DeSantis, claiming that he has information on DeSantis while blaming Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for Republican losses. Trump has announced his campaign for the presidency in 2024, but DeSantis has not confirmed one way or the other.