Ever since Republican Party candidate Donald Trump was elected President of the United States back in 2016, that country and the rest of the world has been not quite the same. And over the next two years the situation has been the same and seemingly getting worse simultaneously. Trump has enjoyed some successes in backpedaling on certain policies in place since the previous Democratic administration of Barack Obama, and the Democrats have fought tooth and nail to somewhat rein in his more extreme proposals. The 2018 Midterm Elections was touted as the time when Democratic blue would regain some power over Republican red; but results show it was not thorough.
USA Today reports that, following voting day itself on Monday, November 6, the 2018 US Midterm Elections are showing that while there is indeed a pushback on the sometimes heavy-handedness of President Donald Trump’s Republican administration, in the form of significant Democrat gains in the House of Representatives, it was far from the resurgent “blue wave” hyped and prayed for by the party. Indeed, the new Democratic House seats were offset by the GOP upping their Senate seats, while the State Gubernatorial races remain a toss-up on which party dominates.
When Trump and the Republicans came to power two years ago after eight years of Barack Obama, the Democrats were left in a minority position on both Houses of Congress, and estimated that they need to take back at least 23 seats in the House of Representatives to flip the majority back to blue. While the House count has yet to conclude, as of midnight in November 7, they have attained that magic number, thanks to support from suburban areas and the women’s vote, both of which have been some of the most discomfited sectors in the Trump presidency. One notable gain was Florida, where former Clinton HHS Secretary Donna Shalala prevented Maria Elvira Salazar from continuing the GOP run of predecessor Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
In the Senate however, a number of Democratic candidates and incumbents were beaten in a strong upset poll performance by their Republican counterparts. Red Senatorial gains include Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota. Vermont on the other hand remained under Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders for a third term, weathering a Republican challenge. Meanwhile, the gubernatorial elections saw a Republican win in Florida, countered by Democrat victories in Kansas and Colorado.
As it stands now, the 2018 US Midterms sees the Democrats at 2018 House seats to 193 Republicans, with the Red secured at 51 Senate seats to 43 Blue. In terms of winning State Governors, there are now 25 Republicans to 21 Democrats, but the unfinished races can still make or break for the majority.
Image courtesy of VOA News
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