The election results are in: the Democrats have taken the House of Representatives! Whether this news fills you with joy or resentment, the fact is that most were not surprised by this outcome. It was expected from the outset that they would win the majority in the House, while the Republicans would keep the Senate. This is exactly what happened. In some ways the election was a success for the donkey party; in other ways it was a success for the GOP. Here are the most important takeaways from the 2018 midterm elections.

First of all, the American public showed their spirit with a turnout of over 114 million voters. The previous two midterms in 2014 and 2010, only showed an 83 million and 91 million voter turnout respectively. Though this is not nearly as many as the 2015 presidential election, it definitely is evidence of an upward trend in voting culture, which had previously experienced a decline. Experts attribute this to early ballot options, which many college students and young people took advantage of this election. If you were one of the millions who went to cast your ballot, good job!

Moving on to the actual results, Democrats took 30 seats in the House of Representatives, seven more than they needed to gain majority control, bringing the total number of seats to 225. On the other side, the Republicans lost 30 seats, bringing their total number of seats down to 197. However, this was the democrat’s only victory in Tuesday’s election, as the Republicans maintained control over the Senate and the 50 governorship’s.

In the Senate, there were 35 seats up for election, and reports show Republicans have retained their control, with at least 51 senators to a combined Democrat and Independent total of 46. It doesn’t add up right? That’s because, as I am writing this, three races have yet to report in, but at this point it is impossible for the Democrats to gain the majority, leaving the Senate in Republican hands.  

Though these results really come as no surprise, the elections did have some interesting results. For example, there have never been more women serving in congress than there are right now. After the midterms, 107 women, 78 Democrats and 29 Republicans now sit in the U.S. Congress, compromising exactly 20% of the 535 member legislative body. Of these 107 women, 18 are Black, 10 Latina, 9 Asian American/Pacific Islander and 1 is multiracial. Whether you are happy about the Democrat vs. Republican debacle or miserable, at least this is something everyone can celebrate!

Now, all that’s left to discuss is the governor race. Though this may not have a massive significance on national policies in the next four years, according to political analysts, what governor races do give insight to is the next presidential election. Of the 36 governor elections held across the nation on Tuesday, 35 have been called. 16 Democrats took their respective governorship’s, as did 19 Republicans. Georgia, who has yet to report its official results, appears to have elected Republican Brian Kemp over Democrat opponent Stacey Abrams, but we have to wait for the official word to be sure. Though the Republicans appear to have won this race, they actually lost states as compared to the last gubernatorial election; losing 6 seats, while Democrats picked up 7.

The most important governor races were held in swing states, Ohio and Florida; both saw victories for Republican candidates. According to political analysts, the results in swing states hold the most insight into the next presidential election, meaning if Florida and Ohio have elected Republican governors, then they will most likely be voting republican in the next election. This would mean Republicans can basically count on a combined total of 47 electoral votes, but this might not turn out to be the case.

Considering the results of the midterms, we can be sure that the next two years will be different than the first two of President Trump’s term. Whether this is good or bad, only time will tell. For now though, it’s time to sit back and see what all this will mean come 2020.

Photo belongs to splinter.com