November 6 marked the end of single-party control in Washington, with Democrats gaining a net 40 seats in the House of Representatives. The Democratic Congress-elect is now the most diverse in history, with over 100 women elected to Congress. These game-changing women include the first Native American women elected, Sharice Davids (a lesbian martial artist who attended Cornell) and Deb Haaland. Also elected were the first Muslim women in Congress, Ilhan Omar (the first refugee and the first woman to wear a headscarf in Congress) and Rashida Tlaib. In New York’s 14th District, 29 year old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was elected, becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
In New York’s 23rd District, home to Ithaca, Democrat Tracy Mitrano lost to Republican incumbent Tom Reed. In Tompkins County, Derek Osborne ousted incumbent Ken Lansing and also defeated Josh Brokaw in race for sheriff. In the neighboring 22nd Congressional District, Democrat Anthony Brindisi, a former state assemblyman, defeated Republican incumbent Claudia Tenney by just over 4,000 votes. Brindisi campaigned as an independent Democrat, but he told The Tattler on November 5 that his message was “one of bipartisanship, not nonpartisanship,” and that he is willing to “reach across the aisle as long it will benefit the people of Upstate New York.” He is also part of a group of first-time Congresspeople-elect whose first goal is campaign finance reform and getting special-interest money out of politics. His victory was not officially called until a full week after Election Night, as the race was one of the closest in the country.
Democrats were less successful in the elections for the US Senate. Incumbents Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) were ousted, and liberal hopeful Beto O’Rourke lost to incumbent Ted Cruz (R) in Texas. Bill Nelson (D) also lost to Rick Scott, the Republican Governor of Florida, in the Senate race. Several notable Republican Senators will also be gone come January—Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Bob Corker (R-TN) are all retiring. Flake will be replaced by Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who defeated Martha McSally in a close race whose victor was not clear until after Election Night. Sinema’s victory was significant as she will be the first openly bisexual senator in US history. In New York, Kirsten Gillibrand held onto her seat easily, barely campaigning and never debating her opponent, Chele Farley.
In Governor’s races, results were mixed. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, succeeded in her bid to become Michigan’s next governor, defeating Bill Schuette. However, Democrats saw upsetting losses in the Florida and Georgia gubernatorial races. Andrew Gillum (D) lost to Ron DeSantis (R) in Florida. He conceded the week after Election Night when it was clear he did not have the votes. He was the victim of racist robocalls linked to DeSantis’ campaign, and while he lost, his race garnered national attention, and he is likely to continue to be prominent in Democratic politics. In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams ran a bold campaign as an unabashedly progressive black woman against Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp. She ended her bid late as well, saying clearly that she was “not conceding,” because to concede would be to acknowledge that something fair happened. In response to alleged voter suppression tactics, Abrams has started and initiative called Fair Fight Georgia, a nonprofit that will work to reform election laws.
While Senate results were painful for Democrats, the midterms constituted a “blue wave” in the House, where Democrats won more votes than any party in a midterm election in US history. The new Congress will not be sworn in until early January, but when that happens, a shift in control of the house could be a sign for change. However, the midterms being over means the 2020 presidential election is now on the horizon, with both parties now having to decide what path to take in the race for the nation’s highest office.