Unfortunately for Democrats, the 2018 midterm election yesterday wasn’t exactly the sweeping “blue wave,” that was desired. While democrats had some serious victories, blue waves were met with equally fierce red walls, reminding everyone that loyalty to President Trump is still alarmingly strong. Is there a magical Kool-aid I’m not drinking here? Is Trump using Jafar from Aladdin’s golden serpent to send half the country into a trance? Or, is it just a money > morals situation? We’ll never know.
However, let’s focus on the good because we’re glass-half-full kind of betches. The turnout to the polls is set to be historic, and it’s not just because of Taylor Swift (Thank you for your effort though, Tay). Approximately 114 million voters cast their ballots yesterday in the United States compared to 83 million in 2014. And while President Trump has already declared the election a “huge victory” for Republicans, Democrats now have new tools in the resistance and they’re more powerful than ever in his administration.
1. Democrats Took Over The House
Hell yeah they did. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is hoping to snag the role of Speaker of the House again, said in her victory speech that “tomorrow will be a new day in America.” Yes, Nancy. Statewide wins for Democrats in Wisconsin and Michigan are particularly notable as those are considered states that cost Hillary Clinton the 2016 presidential election.
2. Republicans Kept Control Of The Senate
The senate loss for democrats was, well, a big loss. If house democrats want to impeach Trump, they would be met with a senate who will never go for it. However, democrats weren’t exactly on track to take the senate and there were some truly impressive races, which leads us to…
3. Ted Cruz Beat Beto O’Rourke In Texas, But It Was Close Af
Any candidate who can get Beyoncé to endorse them is alright by me. O’Rourke was adorable and brave, and the race was insanely close. This is huge for Texas, a notoriously red state as O’Rourke got 4,015,082 votes and Cruz landed 4,228,832.
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4. It Was The Year Of The Woman Pt. 2
Praise be. A total of 115 women won national office so far last night. Four of them are veterans and 42 of them are women of color. This is exciting as hell! We might actually be able to prevent the making of “True Life: America Became the Handmaid’s Tale.”
5. There Was A “Rainbow Wave”
Here’s some hope for the future! Last night, we elected the first Muslim women in the House of Representatives with two Democrats: Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar. Also, Democrats Sharice Davids (member of the LGBT community) of Kansas and Deb Haaland of New Mexico are the first Native American women in the House of Representatives. Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia of Texas will be the first Latinas in the house. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado is the first openly gay governor. Ayanna Pressley will be the first black woman to represent Massachusetts in the house and we got the youngest ever member of congress: 29-year-old millennial treasure, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. All of these people represent a new chapter for the house and for America. Diversity is powerful and hope is on the horizon!
So, while we didn’t wake up to a totally new country, last night was a powerful effort and an overall step in the right direction.
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