US Midterms: Key Takeaways

Facts

• Americans headed to the polls last week to decide the makeup of Congress in a heated election season, with Democrats warning of an alleged threat to American democracy by Republicans, while Republicans focused on the economy and crime.
• On Saturday, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won her reelection bid in Nevada, securing the Democrats' a narrow Senate majority for the next two years. Meanwhile, control of the US House hangs in the balance, as Republicans lead Democrats 212-203 — with 218 seats needed to win a majority — as of Monday morning.
• The Pennsylvania US Senate race — which saw celebrity television physician Mehmet Oz face off against Lt. Gov. John Fetterman — is being called a victory for Democrat Fetterman by multiple outlets. Democrat Josh Shapiro also managed to win the state's gubernatorial race.
• In the closest New York governor's race since 1994, Republican Lee Zeldin — who tightened the race to within single digits ahead of election day — on Wednesday conceded defeat to Democrat incumbent Kathy Hochul. Hochul is the first woman to be elected governor of the state.
• Republican candidate JD Vance is projected to have beaten Tim Ryan in heavily contested Ohio, while Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson is also projected to have won his race. Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis has beaten Charlie Crist in Florida's governor race. Georgia's Senate race is still a toss-up, with incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker heading to a runoff.
• Democrats have done better than anticipated by retaining control in the Senate, a result that will boost Pres. Joe Biden during the second half of his term.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, New York Times, Syracuse, Wall Street Journal, and CNN.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. Given the current rate of inflation and violent crime crisis, Republicans should have done better, but that doesn't mean there weren't bright spots. One of these was the landslide reelection of Ron DeSantis, and Florida's showcasing of how to run a smooth election. Whether they end up with a majority in the House, the GOP now has two years to take notes and figure out their 2024 game plan.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. What DeSantis's win shows is that many Republicans throughout the country are still trying — and failing — to run their campaigns like Donald Trump. Election deniers like Doug Mastriano took huge defeats and up-and-coming progressives like John Fetterman had big wins, showing voters care far more about protecting democracy than the MAGA crowd thought.