USA

The Republicans had a pretty good midterm election despite what pundits are claiming. The GOP must win three of the remaining four Senate races to win control of the upper chamber — a goal well within reach as Republicans lead in Nevada and Wisconsin. And the party is within spitting distance of a House majority.

A progressive bloodbath has merely been delayed

For all their cautious optimism yesterday, a mild Midterms victory may prove the last thing the Democrats need. If they had performed as predicted, the Democrats and their media adjuncts would now be busily dissecting their defeat. But what has to be considered a lost Republican opportunity — gaining little in a country where lifespans are now dropping — also means that the Democrats will be slower to address their weaknesses, and may be forced to accept the unpopular Joe Biden as their leader in 2024.

Red states are growing, while blue states are mired in lawlessness and decline.

Yesterday’s Midterms were not a victory for conservative or progressive ideology, but an assertion of the growing power of geography in American politics. It was less a national election than a clash of civilisations.

Virtually nowhere in blue areas did Republicans make gains. Both the north-east and California – the central players in Democratic Party politics – stayed solidly blue. Even the most well-regarded GOP candidates, such as Lanhee Chen who ran for California state controller, struggled to make inroads in Democratic territory.

The red wave washed ashore as a ripple, though Republicans did make progress.

It’s late as I write this, though not late enough to know how things will turn out. But there are things we can safely say just after midnight Eastern time on Tuesday as the vote counts roll in and the races get called.

One of them is that for all the anger we’ve seen evidence of from Republican and independent voters, it seems pretty clear that channeling it into positive action is something beyond the reach of the GOP’s leadership and political class.

There were some crucial results still to come in the 2022 midterm elections as Wednesday dawned.

But some lessons were already clear after a dramatic night.

Elections are over – What we know so far…#Midterms #Midterms2022 pic.twitter.com/ik6OtA8Qae

— Zvonimir (@zvonko1976) November 9, 2022

US midterm elections: Who won, who lost and what it means so far

Hours after the first polls closed, many key races in the US midterms have yet to be called and control of the US Senate, in particular, is still very much up for grabs.

It has been a good enough night for Republicans, but far from a great one. Their hopes of a tidal wave that would sweep them to victory in dozens of toss-up races are not materialising so far.

They have already lost one Senate seat, in Pennsylvania, and will need to flip two among the three states of Nevada, Arizona and Georgia, to take control of that chamber.

Democratic Senate hopeful John Fetterman beat Dr. Oz in the must-win Pennsylvania Senate race in the early hours of Wednesday morning as top Republicans admitted the red wave hadn’t materialized.

In what polls suggested would be a dominant night for the GOP with President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings serving as a drag, the Democrats won crucial House seats on the East Coast and held onto the endangered Senate seat in New Hampshire.

Trump-backed Republican J.D. Vance was victorious in Ohio and Ron DeSantis won a landslide to be re-elected as Florida Governor, but the GOP victory party was put on ice because of Democratic wins in swing states.

I never cared for Oz but losing to Fetterman is just sad.

For results:RealClearPolitics, Reuters

I usually get Andrew Sullivan’s Substack Weekly Dish emailed to me. And last week, just before the Nov 8 midterms, he was agonizing over the Biden disaster: “Will Biden and the Dems Finally Get It?

In return for centrists’ and moderates’ support, Biden effectively told us to get lost. He championed the entire far-left agenda: the biggest expansion in government since LBJ; a massive stimulus… mass migration…

Of course, if Trump runs again, Sullivan will vote against him. Because Weimar.

Americans must be kept on an emergency posture where elites know best

If all indications are correct, Election Day will see a massive red wave, sweeping Republicans into power in the House, Senate, governorships, and statehouses across the country. The mood will be grim for Democrats — the night is dark and the knives are long — but there is hope right around the corner in the form of a tool they have long had at the ready: the return of Covid.

Americans will vote this week in congressional elections with one big issue on their minds – the economy. And that’s good news for one party.

In Circleville, Ohio, nothing kicks off the fall festivities quite like the annual Pumpkin Show. It’s been called the “Greatest Free Show on Earth”.

This year, the only thing weighing more than the 1800-pound pumpkin on the minds of some residents, and voters, is the cost of living.

Kari Stephens, 50, believes the economy is in “the toilet”.

The economy is certainly the biggest issue followed by the woke deviance of the Democrats.

If the pollsters and handicappers end up being spectacularly wrong on Election Night, there’s one group that won’t be too surprised: the pollsters and handicappers themselves.

The 2022 midterms could go exactly as modeled—a 20-some-odd-seat pickup for Republicans in the House and maybe a 51-49 GOP Senate—but the people who watch these races the closest are also warning they might be wrong in decisive ways. In either direction.

No one really knows because, like every election, pollsters are extrapolating their best guess based on a set of assumptions. But unlike previous elections, the assumptions are getting bigger.