Last Tuesday, the country’s legislature was rocked by the 2014 Midterm Elections, which displaced the Democrats from their position as the Senate majority party and granted the GOP full control of Congress. The elections, which took place on November 4th, are considered a big win for the Republican Party, which gained eight Senate seats, putting the balance of power at 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two Independents, who typically caucus with the Democrats. The GOP also retained control over the House of Representatives; now, they form the greatest majority since World War II. To many voters, the election was a referendum on the Obama administration and the results demonstrate that, though the public’s opinion of the GOP may be poor, their opinion of the president is even worse.
To election geeks and political pundits, the midterms were a very exciting election. Several hotly contested seats were up for grabs, including former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY). A few highlights:
- Mitch McConnell retains his seat in the face of challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes (D-KY), likely becoming the next Senate Majority Leader.
- Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) defeats Scott Brown (R-NH), the Republican who moved to New Hampshire following his defeat in Massachusetts by Democrat darling Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in 2012.
- Joni Ernst (R-IA) becomes the first female Congressperson from her state despite her infamous campaign ad touting her accomplishments as a hog castrator.
- Mia Love (R-UT) becomes the country’s first female African-American Republican Congressperson (she’s also a Mormon).
- In Jersey, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) holds on to his seat that he won in a special election in 2013 following the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg.
Though typical of midterm elections, this year was marked by an abysmal voter turnout of 36.4%, including a huge disparity between white turnout and minority turnout; while 75% of whites voted, only 12% of African-Americans, 8% of Latinos, and 3% of Asians did.
Though the Democrats lost big, there is a silver lining for progressive voters: for the first time, there are 100 women in Congress (and perhaps more depending on still contested races).
So what exactly does the new Congress mean for the rest of President Obama’s term? Though the country is accustomed to Congressional gridlock, the control of both houses by the GOP will make the president the only one capable of denying Republican leaders their agenda. The GOP, however, looks ahead with optimism; “It’s time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country,” Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) declared, “starting with our still-struggling economy.” For 2016 presidential hopefuls, this election could show the country’s desire to move on from Obama and anyone connected to him, like Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton.
For now, however, Congress is in a lame-duck session, so no one can tell exactly what the midterms spell for the future of the country’s legislature. Let’s just hope for some compromise.
Check out this interactive results map from CNN for more midterm buzz: