The mid-term U.S. election on November 8 was watched across Chicago and the globe. Some congressional races took time to conclude. . But for most others, election day was a wake-up call for the Republican party. Normally in  midterm elections, the party in executive (i.e. Presidential) power often loses a large percentage of congressional seats. 

Surprisingly however, Democrats kept control of the Senate by winning important races in Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, with Rev. Raphael Warnock winning the Georgia runoff on December 6. By keeping control of the Senate, the Democrats will keep the important ability to nominate and approve members of the federal judiciary. Also, if a member of the current Supreme Court were to pass away or resign, the Senate would have the votes to approve a new justice. In the House, the fact that final election results were still pending, one week after the election, was evidence of the bad performance by the Republican party. The GOP kept a very small majority and won back control of the House from former House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA), with the Republican majority smaller than expected. The GOP majority will also be more tense, with the MAGA wing of the party having more leverage than previously.

At the state level, in many key battleground states, election deniers from the last election lost state office positions, including the governorships in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and the Secretary of State office in Nevada, Arizona, and Michigan. It was also an election that marked the third straight loss of candidates endorsed and backed by Donald Trump. Outgoing Maryland governor Larry Hogan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on November 13, “It’s the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race, and it’s like, three strikes, you’re out.” At the same time, former Chicagoan and Citadel’s billionaire founder Ken Griffin called Donald Trump a “three-time loser” at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on November 15.

Griffin, who is a big Republican donor, appeared happy with the large voter turnout at the midterm elections which he called “a great moment – American voters came out in droves….a triumph of democracy.” Many members of the Parker community agree that it was a great moment for democracy. Many took advantage of early voting, including Upper School history teacher, Andrew Bigelow, who was surprised by the election results, but “pleased and relieved.” Mr. Bigelow believes the election and exit polling “favored the GOP and was a bit off.” He noted that “all has been fair in this election and the MAGA folks will cry foul no matter what. There was little to no violence and protest. The Election Deniers lost across the nation and that is good news for democracy.”

Looking ahead to 2024, the divided Congress may be helpful for Senate Democrats who will be in tough re-election campaigns in states from Montana, Ohio, Nevada, and Arizona. With the GOP controlling the House, there are expected to be very few bills that come to the senate after passing the house. This might be helpful for some Democrats running for election in more conservative states, so they don’t have to go on the record to vote for something that might hurt them. The 2024 presidential election will be more important than ever because the federal government is so closely divided, a strong or popular presidential candidate could have the power to help sweep their party into control of all elected branches. 

 Given these results, Mr. Bigelow predicts that Biden and Harris will run again in 2024 and that they will face a “difficult ticket…to defeat” with Republican Gov. DeSantis (FL) and Gov. Haley (SC). DeSantis is a popular candidate for Republicans who do not wish to see Trump seek another term. Griffin, who hoped Trump “sees the writing on the wall” continued to praise the “landslide victory” of Gov. DeSantis who he believes “is going to run on a record of just unbelievable accomplishment.” It’s only 720 days until the next presidential election. Let’s get ready!