To say that last night did not go well for Republicans would be the understatement of the century — we lost, big time. However, there are some silver linings in this midterm storm.
First, Florida held the line by electing Republican Byron Donalds, the state’s first black governor, and Vermont reelected Republican incumbent Governor Phil Scott to a historic sixth two-year term. Republicans also held key Senate seats across several states, with victories by Barry Moore in Alabama, Tom Cotton in Arkansas, Ashley Moody in Florida, Jim Risch in Idaho, Andy Barr in Kentucky, Julia Letlow in Louisiana, Kurt Alme in Montana, and Pete Ricketts in Nebraska. Republican Michael Alfonso — a Gen-Z Catholic conservative — was elected in Wisconsin as the youngest member of the 120th Congress, and Republican incumbents Nicholas LaLota and Andrew Garbarino continue to hold narrow leads to retain their own House seats in New York.
Republicans also had important ballot-measure wins, a few of which were in deep-blue states. For example, “A handful of states approved ballot measures to establish voter identification laws and require proof of citizenship to vote,” explains Tanner Nau. “Eight states approved referenda targeting election security, a longtime focus of the Trump administration and Republicans in general — even while electing Democrats.” Among these states were North Carolina and Ohio —both of which approved a voter ID requirement — and Arkansas, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Alaska, which approved a U.S. citizenship voting requirement.
Furthermore, the electorate in two deep-blue states are voting to protect women’s sports. The Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative in Washington State and the Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative in Colorado are in the lead. If current results hold, the measures would ban males from competing in women’s sports. In Idaho, voters chose life by rejecting the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, which would have allowed abortion before the “point of fetal viability” and would have changed the current state law that bans abortion except in cases that involve rape, incest, or a threat to the mother’s life. Finally, Coloradans voted to require life in prison without parole or release for those who are convicted of sex-trafficking children.
So, yes, last night looked bad — okay, it was bad — but it wasn’t all bad. We had a few meaningful wins, and a win is worth celebrating, no matter how small.