The red wave did not break across the country as many pundits were predicting.
The 2022 Midterm Election in Mississippi ended just as it was predicted to with the three incumbent Congressman winning re-election and the Republican nominee in the 4th District cruising to his first term in Congress.
All three Republican winners – Trent Kelly (MS 1), Michael Guest (MS 2) and Mike Ezell (MS 4) – won over 70% of the vote on Tuesday.
In the 2nd District, Democrat Congressman Bennie Thompson had a longer than expected night as slow results from across the Delta showed he and Republican challenger Brian Flowers running neck and neck into the early hours of Wednesday morning. However, as anticipated, Thompson pulled ahead and unofficial results show him with an 18% margin with 69% of precincts reporting.
Mississippi Democrats should be concerned heading into the 2023 statewide election cycle as their candidates not only failed to fundraise and get their message out to voters in a way that connects with Mississippians, they also failed to show any signs of being truly competitive in turning out voters in key areas where state elections are determined from the Coast to the Tennessee state line.
Nationally, Republicans underperformed. That reality can be largely blamed on candidate quality and personality politics.
In Pennsylvania, Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz was defeated by the state’s Democrat Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who due to a stroke has lost much of his ability to process and deliver information.
In Georgia, former football great Herschel Walker who has been scandal ridden for the last few months could be in a runoff with the Democrat incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock who won a special election for the seat two years ago.
However, when Republicans focused on effective, practical public policy and implementation, they won.
In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis easily won by nearly 1.5 million votes after barely winning four years earlier. Republicans largely swept the state on Tuesday, further solidifying its red state status.
In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp sent Democrat Stacey Abrams packing once again, which is telling when you compare this gubernatorial race with the state’s U.S. Senate race and Walker’s results.
As for how the balance of power shakes out in Congress, that is still to be determined as of the publication of this article.
The Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Georgia U.S. Senate races will be the factors on which party holds the gavel. Currently, Democrats and Republicans have secured 48 seats each in the chamber.
In the U.S. House, Republicans have currently secured 199 seats of the necessary 218 to win the majority. Democrats have solidified 172. This means 64 seats have yet to be determined and called as of Wednesday morning.
Frank Corder
