Midterm election update: Some tightly-contested races and some historic wins

Tuesday, November 8, marked the midterm elections in the United States. Control of both chambers of Congress tightly hangs in the balance right now. The midterm election in 2022 is slated to be one of the most important elections in decades.

While a Republican wave was among the election’s hot topics, it looks more like a red ripple than a riptide. One of the most-watched Senate battles in the country saw a Democrat win the election as John Fetterman prevailed over GOP challenger Mehemet Oz in Pennsylvania.

This was the first Senate seat to flip and one of the most critical. The chamber is evenly divided, and Democratic control rests on just two seats. To maintain this status, the states of Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Arizona are the wild cards. It is currently too early to call these crucial races.

The Senate race in Georgia has attracted nationwide attention. In the 2020 election, the Peach State went to a Democrat for the first time since 1992. Joe Biden won by a razor-thin margin of 0.23%. At the time of writing, Senate candidates Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) are in a race too close to call. This victory could determine which party will control the Senate.

Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways of this election cycle is some historic victories. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has become the first female governor of Arkansas. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D) is slated to be named the state’s first elected female governor. She is also the nation’s first openly gay governor. Maryland has elected its first black governor, Wes Moore (D).

Katie Britt (R) will become Alabama’s first elected female senator. Alex Padilla (D) is now California’s first Latino senator. The Golden State named Rob Bonta (D) the first Filipino American attorney general and Robert Garcia (D) the first openly gay immigrant to win a Congressional election.

In Florida, 25-year-old Maxwell Frost (D) will be the first member of Generation Z to serve in the United States Congress. Delia Ramirez (D) is the first Latina Illinois elected to the House, while Shri Thanedar (D) holds the distinction of being the first Indian American elected by the state of Michigan.

The final election results could take weeks to finalize due to several races being neck-in-neck.