Decision 2022 - The morning after
Newly elected marylad Governor Wes Moore.
By Mona Austin
Thriling victories and agnizing defeats left a wider poltical chasm in an already drifting nation after thr 2022 mid-term elections. Unflippable Florida retained Republican Ron Desantis who ran on being called by God and deep Blue Michigan kept Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her second term. Projected victory waves from either party did not pan out in post-electiobn results.
Election business in closely watched races is unfinished in several states following Tuesday's primaries.
The biggest win of the night went to Pennsylvania Democrat John Fettermans whose recovery from a stroke nearly paralyzed his chances fo becoming a senator after a poor debate performance against celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz. Fetterman was stunned in his 1 AM acceptance speech as voters in the crowd shouted their support. "We believe in you," someone yelled.
Races in Nevada, Oregon, Arizona,, Wisconsin and Georgia remain uncalled. The highly publicized senate contest in Gweorgia find Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker headed to a Dec. 6 run-off since neither candidate received the 50% of the votes required under state law to win on the first ballot. Warnock gained the seat in a 2018 run-off against Kelly Loefler.
By ths morning Senate races were called in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington. Five Republican winners were declared to 4 Democrats.
With the goal of the midterms being to control at least one chamber in the Congress, ending up with control of bneither the House nor Senate will eqaute to gridlock for the enxt 2 years of the Biden Adminitration. If Democrats finish with 49 Senate seats prior to the runoff, the runoff will decide which party controls the chamber.
Historic firsts
Republlican Monica De La Cruz became the frst Mexican woman elected tyo be a senator in the state of Texas
Maryland voters elected to first African American governor, Democrat Wes Moore. He is the third Black person to ever serve as governor in the U.S., following Doug Wilder of Virginia and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts.
Vermont will finally send a woman to Congress, after being the only state not to ever have female representation in the House.
The nation's frist openly gay governor, the state's former Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey, was elected in the state of Massachusetts
The first mother and woman to serve as governor, GOP candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders was elected in the state of Arkansas.
Pres. Joe Biden plans to face the press to react to the election results on Wednesday afternoon.
Per the New York Times:
Three high-profile Republican governors — Ron DeSantis of Florida, Greg Abbott of Texas and Brian Kemp of Georgia — won re-election. In Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor, easily beat Doug Mastriano, an election denier. Democratic incumbents won in Wisconsin and Michigan.