U.S House of Representatives
Current Status: Republicans 222 Seats, Democrats 213 Seats
Result: Republicans Gain House Majority
Seats Needed for Majority: 218
Takeaway: Expecting a “Red Wave”, many Republicans were disappointed with the result of U.S House Elections. While Republicans have taken control of the chamber, the majority they hold is slim. Republicans had some bright spots in performances in states such as New York and Florida, but failed to flip many key swing districts in other areas of the country. Instead of a Red Wave, the Republican party had a “Red trickle”, underwhelming their expectations. However, despite an underperformance, a Republican majority will stifle Democratic-led legislation and make it possible to conduct investigations of Biden’s administration. Kevin McCarthy, current Republican minority leader, is expected to become House Speaker in January.
U.S Senate
Current Status: Democrats 51 seats, Republicans 49 seats*
Result: Democrats Hold Control of Senate Majority
Pennsylvania: Democratic Flip
North Carolina: Republican Hold
Georgia: Runoff (next election December 5th)
Ohio: Republican Hold
Florida: Republican Hold
New Hampshire: Democratic Hold
Nevada: Democratic Hold
Arizona: Democratic Hold
Take Away: Along with the House of Representatives, Democrats outperformed the polls across many Senate races. Democratic candidate John Fetterman managed to flip the Senate seat in Pennsylvania for the Democrats with a nearly 4 point win over Republican challenger Mehmet Oz. Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire also won her seat by a larger than expected margin against a Trump-backed candidate. However, not everything went wrong for Republicans. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and JD Vance of Ohio kept GOP control of three key Senate seats. Additionally, Marco Rubio of Florida won by a larger expected margin, as the state moved much more conservative in this election cycle. Ultimately, holds in Arizona and Nevada ensured the Democratic party will control the Senate for the next two years, which will be vital as Democrats seeks to continue confirming judicial nominees to remake the courts. Since Raphael Warnock beat his opponent Herschel Walker in the recent run-off election in Georgia, Democrats will net a seat in the senate overall, increasing their majority to 51-49.
Governor Races
Michigan: Democratic Hold
Maryland: Democratic Flip
Massachusetts: Democratic Flip
Florida: Republican Hold
Oregon: Democratic Hold
Arizona: Democratic Flip
New York: Democratic Hold
Ohio: Republican Hold
Kansas: Democratic Hold
Takeaways: Democrats did very well in the governor races this election cycles, although Republicans outperformed in some races. In states such as New York and Oregon, Republican governor candidates kept the race in single digits despite losing in heavily liberal states. However, Democrats managed to flip control of the governor’s mansion in states such as Massachusetts, Maryland, and Arizona. Trump-backed candidates in states such as Arizona and Michigan lost their races, ensuring these swing states are under Democratic governors for the 2024 election.
Overall Takeaway: Generally speaking, Democrats have been able to halt the potential “Red Wave” that has been anticipated by many election experts. Democrats managed to secure another Senate majority for the next two years, and picked up important governor seats in multiple states. Despite this, a Republican majority in the House of Representatives (albeit slim) will stall Biden’s agenda and open the door to investigations and more scrutiny of the administration. Kevin McCarthy will have to appease both moderate and more right-wing Republicans in his party, however, to secure his speaker position in January.
Local Results
U.S House District 4: Richmond City
Winner: Incumbent Donald McEachin (Democratic Hold)*** –> Donald McEachin passed away on November 28th, and a new special election will be held to replace him
U. S House District 1: Henrico County
Winner: Incumbent Rob Wittman (Republican Hold)
The two local House of Representative races were of little surprise to election experts. Democrat Donald McEachin held his seat in District 4 with almost 64% of the vote. Republican incumbent Rob Wittman held his seat with nearly 57% of the vote against his Democratic opponent Herbert Jones.
Bond Referendum Results (Henrico County)
Henrico Public Safety Bond Referendum: Bonds Approved
Henrico Recreation and Parks Bond Referendum: Bonds Approved
Henrico Flood Prevention Bond Referendum: Bonds Approved
Henrico School Projects Bond Referendum: Bonds Approved
Each of the bond referendums in Henrico County were approved with ease by voters. Almost every referendum passed with 90%, showing strong support for allocating monies for these designated projects.
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