Midterms 2022: Republican ripple nationwide, Democratic sweep in CT

Henry Watson ’25, Paper News Editor|November 16, 2022

Graphic by Henry Watson '25

The 2022 Midterms were one of the most consequential in history. Democrats did far better than expected, with the best results for an incumbent President’s party since 2002.

The 2022 Midterm saw election denial, women’s reproductive rights and pro-Trump candidates specialize the election into one where the Democrats had a solid chance of holding off a Republican wave. 

In Connecticut, Democrats retained control of the Governor’s Mansion, the Senate and all 5 House seats, as well as both local state representatives for Westport. Nationwide, the Senate remained in Democratic control, while a narrow Republican majority won the House.

Republicans came up short for many districts they were projected to win, with some Democrats winning Republican seats in traditionally red states, such as Ohio, Alaska and North Carolina.  

“I was honestly surprised that the Democrats performed that well, or maybe the Republicans just performed very poorly,” Matthew Guadarrama ’25 said. “In a democracy that is increasingly unstable, it is positive to see that this Midterm reflected some balance between the two parties.” 

According to the New York Times, pollsters had underestimated the number of voters that voted for the Democrats because they were concerned about the economy, survivability of democracy and women’s rights after Dobbs v. Jackson. Greatest of all, pollsters had underestimated what impact President Trump would have on the election. Locally, Connecticut has been known to be a firm Democratic state, and the results of a blue victory in Connecticut were expected. 

As control of the Senate was resolved by Democratic victories in Arizona and Nevada, the final Senate race in Georgia has garnered exceptional attention, as there is more at stake after the announcement by President Trump that he would be running for President once again. 

“Georgia’s election is an interesting case study of where the Republican party currently stands. The Trump-endorsed Republican senate candidate, Herschel Walker, is facing a challenging race,” Debate Club President James Cao ’23 said. “That’s not to say Republican candidates are moving back to the center, but many certainly are moving from Trump.”