Americans went to the polls for the midterm elections last Tuesday. Democrats ultimately took control of the House of Representatives, with a total of 228 seats, as opposed to the Republican total of 199, giving Democrats new power to challenge Trump for the next two years of his presidency. Democrats scored a notable victory within American suburbs; on the left, the midterm results filled a large gender gap among women. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women in Congress. Republicans found victories in states that had been popular for Trump during the 2016 election and increased their majority in the Senate.
The gubernatorial races produced a split result; Democrats won in Michigan, Illinois and, unexpectedly, Kansas; Republicans, however, won two significant races in Florida and Ohio, while Jared Polis of Colorado became the first openly gay person elected as a governor in the United States. As for Tennessee, Republican Marsha Blackburn defeated former Democratic governor Phil Bredesen to become the first female senator for the state, while Republican Bill Lee became governor, defeating Democrat Karl Dean. The Florida Senate election, meanwhile, headed into a mandatory recount due to close results. Trump and Florida Governor Rick Scott claimed, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud occurred in the state during the midterm elections. Despite a Thursday recount deadline, at least one county, Palm Beach County, said that its recounting will not be completed by Thursday.
The president also had a role to play in the elections. In the months prior to the polls opening, President Donald Trump was making several campaign stops in support of Republican candidates. As Election Day approached, Trump also made false statements and ignored Republican aides who warned that his divisive style could cost Republicans the House of Representatives. Trump’s remarks included statements such as, “The Democrats want to invite caravan after caravan of illegal aliens into our country. And they want to sign them up for free health care, free welfare, free education and for the right to vote.” He also said that “the Democrat plan” would “obliterate Medicare” while also claiming that, under his leadership, Republicans gave veterans “the right to see a private doctor,” something that, according to Trump, politicians have been unable to do for “44 years.” The legitimacy of the results from Florida, Georgia and Arizona were also called into question by President Trump via Twitter. Meanwhile, two-thirds of voters said their vote in the congressional election was about Donald Trump, according to CNN’s national early exit polls, and even more said they were showing up at the polls to express opposition rather than support for the president.
Apart from partisanship, the election process itself saw some interesting developments, as early voting in 2018 saw a notable increase. For instance, in Tennessee alone, there was a 664 percent increase in early and absentee voters among those aged 18 to 29; there was also an increase of over 200 percent among voters aged over 30. The elections also saw the largest midterm voter turnout since 1970, something positive that all Americans can take away from what has been a very tumultuous time for our country.