Five relevant facts after the mid-term vote in the United States

The mid-term elections in the United States will set the political scene for the next two years. With results still pending in several key races, there are five facts to keep in mind after the election:

There was no Republican “red wave”

The party in the White House has traditionally lost seats in midterm elections, and with Joe Biden’s popularity stuck below 40% and Republicans criticizing him for inflation and crime, many pundits had predicted a drubbing for Democrats.

In the House of Representativesearly results suggest Republicans are on track to win a majority, but only by a handful of seats, a far cry from their predictions.

Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who aspires to be the next speaker of the House, showed optimism Tuesday night as the vote count progressed: “It’s clear we’re going to take the House back.”

But influential Senator Lindsey Graham, one of former President Donald Trump’s main allies, admitted to NBC that the election “is definitely not a Republican wave, that’s for sure.”

NBC News projected that Republicans will likely win 220 seats, giving them only a slim two-seat majority.

Control of the Senate still undefined

Control of the 100-seat Senate, currently split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, hinged Wednesday on four key races that were still on a knife edge.

The Democrats need two more victories to maintain their dominance in the upper house, with the vice president Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker vote, while Republicans need three to become a majority.

In Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin, Senate votes could take days to count. And Georgia could well go to a runoff scheduled for Dec. 6.

Democrats hoped to win seats from retiring Republican senators in North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. But they were only successful in the latter, where with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke on the campaign trail, he defeated Trump-backed TV star doctor Mehmet Oz.

Florida, new Republican stronghold

Previously considered a “purple” state, which could vote either Democrat or Republican depending on each election, Florida appears to have swung permanently toward the Republican camp after major victories in the House of Representatives.

In addition, Governor Ron DeSantis won re-election almost 20 points ahead of his Democratic rival, enough to fuel his ambitions to run for the White House in 2024.

Miami-Dade County, generally committed to the Democratic cause, voted overwhelmingly this time for DeSantis, a success attributed by the Miami Herald to his performance with the Hispanic electorate.

Candidates aiming for 2024

One of the most decisive victories on Tuesday was that of the rising Republican star DeSantis, a potential candidate for the White House in 2024.

But DeSantis is likely to face a stiff challenge from another Floridian: Trump, who has said he will make an “exciting” announcement on November 15.

On the Democratic side, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer he won re-election in Michigan, a key state for the presidential race.

Multiple candidates who ran in the 2020 Democratic primary, including now Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, have made campaign appearances in major races, fueling speculation that they may consider running again if Biden decides not to. .

growing diversity

the democrat Maura Healey made history like the first openly lesbian governor elected in the United States, after easily winning the race in the state of Massachusetts, in the northeast of the country.

In neighboring New Hampshire, James Roesener became the first openly transgender man elected to a state legislature, joining several trans women already in office.

The state of Maryland, a neighbor of the federal capital Washington DC, elected its first black governor, Wes Moore, whose growing prominence suggests a possible national candidacy.

And Maxwell Frost, 25, was elected congressman from Florida, becoming the first member of Generation Z (which brings together today’s teenagers and young adults) to reach the US House of Representatives.