The 2022 United States elections were held on November 8th, 2022. During this midterm election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 out of 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were contested to determine the 118th United States Congress. The Republican party won the house by a very narrow majority. The Democrats retained control of the Senate. The race for control was a lot closer than anticipated. The Republican parties did very well in the strong-hold states like Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. There was also a surge in traditionally Democratic states such as New York. This was enough for them (Republicans) to flip the House of Representatives with a slight majority. More information about the House of Representatives can be found on NBC news.

There were several key issues that were hot topics for the 2022 midterms. The economy was at the forefront of this as voters suffered from historically high consumer prices, gas prices, and interest rates. In relation to the economy, inflation in particular became the top issue for voters throughout 2022. This year’s midterm elections were cutting very close together for results. The Democratic Party is currently sitting at 48 seats and the Republican Party sits at 49 seats, the only difference being one makes this a very close election.   Some of the takeaways from the Midterm Elections were the battle for control of the House of Representatives and the Senate still being up in the air. The battle for control of congress is still up in the air, with the Senate coming down to three key races. while Democrats and Republicans are still hanging onto hopes of winning a narrow majority in the House. On Tuesday, November 22nd, Republicans began fighting that night starting with a rout in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis won heavily Latino, historically Democratic regions on his way to a blowout victory that could serve as a launch pad for the 2024 Presidential run.

In the hours that followed, the Democrats reclaimed their ground. In Pennsylvania, Democratic Lt. Governor John Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz for the seat of retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey. As of Thursday morning of November 24th, the battle for the House majority – which mostly favored Republicans, who expected to benefit from high inflation, historical trends, and friendly new district lines after 2021’s redistricting still remains unsettled.  Even after the election, numerous questions over control remain. Election day is long over, but the fundamental questions of this election remain highly unanswered. To start, control of the Senate is still up for grabs. Fetterman’s victory in Pennsylvania gave Democrats some breathing room as they await results from Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia. In order to claim a majority, Republicans now need to win two of those three.

Although, the Georgia Senate race will go to a runoff in December after no candidate won more than 50% of the vote. Even the shape of the House remains uncertain. As the votes continue to be counted, the coming days will likely reveal the strength of a new GOP House majority. Whether a potentially underwhelming performance undermines minority leader Kevin McCarthy’s standing within a rancorous GOP conference. The GOP is now in a race-by-race fight that will ultimately determine McCarthy’s ability to govern.