On November 8, 2022, midterm elections were held across the country, deciding the fate of Congress in an increasingly polarized environment. Here in New Jersey, we had school board elections, bids for congressional seats, and elections for public offices such as Sheriff positions and county clerk positions. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday:

Overview:

• Democrats won the Senate majority with 50 Democrat Senators and Vice President Kamala Harris representing the 51st seat required for the majority. Republicans hold 50 seats in the Senate as well.

• Republicans are projected to win the House of Representatives, currently holding 218 seats, 3 seats away from the majority. Democrats currently hold 211 seats.

• In Governor elections, the GOP leads with 25 seats held. Democrats hold 24 governor seats nationwide. Democrats have won 18 seats, and Republicans have won 17. The only governor election yet to be called is the Alaska governor election, with the Republican candidate leading with 51%.

• This election is an example of our highly divided country. Still, there are important takeaways:

  • With Republicans likely to win the House, there is likely to be a significant divide between the Democrat-controlled Senate and the House. This could lead to blockage in Congress.

  • The House has the capability to approve finances for President Joe Biden’s agenda. With Republicans in the driver’s seat, Biden’s agenda could be blocked completely, following trends with similar political make-ups of Congress and the White House.

    • This can force a government shutdown, like the one under President Donald Trump in 2018.

  • Trump-backed candidates did not fare well this election.

High Profile Cases:

This section will cover the names you’ve seen on the news in the past few months.

• Georgia Election for Senator: Herschel Walker (R.) v. Raphael Warnock (D.)

  • The Georgia Senate election has resulted in a runoff election to be scheduled in the coming weeks.

  • Georgia state law requires that a runoff election be held if no candidate reaches a majority (50% or more) in the general election.

• Arizona

  • Senator: Mark Kelly (Astronaut) v Blake Masters

    • Mark Kelly (Democrat), the incumbent, is reelected for a second term with 51.8% of the vote. Opponent Blake Masters received 46.1% of the vote.

  • Governor: Kari Lake v Katie Hobbs

    • Katie Hobbs, the Democratic candidate for Govenor, won the Arizona Gubnatorial election with 50.3% of the vote. Her opponent Kari Lake won 49.7% of the vote.

    • Katie Hobbs's key values include maintaining democratic elections in Arizona and bipartisanship.

• Pennsylvania Election for Senator: John Fetterman v Mehmet Oz

  • John Fetterman (Democrat), Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor has been declared the winner of the Pennsylvania senate race versus Dr. Mehmet Oz. With 94% reporting, Fetterman won 50.5% of the vote to Oz’s 47.1%.

  • Fetterman led in cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

  • Fetterman’s key issues focus on working-class Pennsylvania residents and plans to cut taxes for the working class, expand healthcare, and have financial accountability in Washington.

• Nevada Senate Election: Adam Lexalt v Catherine Cortez Masto

  • Catherine Cortez Masto, (Democrat) won the Nevada Senate seat with 48.8% of the vote in Nevada to Adam Lexalt’s 48.1%, just seven-tenths below Cortez Masto. Cortez Masto’s election has given Democrats the Senate majority.

  • Cortez Masto became the United States’ first Latina Senator after election in 2016.

  • Cortez Masto is a big proponent of federal banking regulation and has supported and sponsored numerous pieces of legislation to help working families.

Local Elections:

• Democrats won 9 house seats to Republicans’ 2 in the House across New Jersey.

  • Robert Menendez won 73.2% of the vote for New Jersey Congressional District 8, which contains Jersey City.

• Sheriff Election

  • Incumbent Frank X. Schillari (D), is reelected once again for yet another term to be Hudson County Sheriff.

• County Clerk Election

  • E. Junior Maldonado (D) wins the County Clerk position for Hudson County.