The 2018 midterm elections in hindsight

With the 2018 midterms concluded, and airwaves spared of further relentless political advertisements, students can continue on with their lives, focusing elsewhere. For political evaluators, it’s important for both sides of the political spectrum to look at the course-of-action of the other, and evaluate what each party did right, and what they could have done better.

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On Nov 18, 2018

With the 2018 midterms concluded, and airwaves spared of further relentless political advertisements, students can continue on with their lives, focusing elsewhere. For political evaluators, it’s important for both sides of the political spectrum to look at the course-of-actions of the other, and evaluate what each party did right, and what they could have done better.

In the results from the election, Republicans have managed to gain an even stronger foothold in the Senate than the previous 51 seats they held.

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The House of Representatives, however, has managed to swing back into a slight Democrat majority. This leads to the question of how the nation will function under a divided Congress.

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the [State].

Constitution of the United States

Article One, Section Two, Clause One

The House of Representatives is formed as a direct representation of the people, and is in charge of overseeing the nation’s budget, the initiation of the impeachment process, and shares equal power with the Senate in forming new laws. It should be noted, however, that given the representative’s attachment to their district as opposed to partisan politics, most members vote instead for what represents the general population of their district.

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Scaling back from national to state politics, Texas is in a key position for both sides at the moment, and has surprised many analysts with its Senate results.

Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, for example, raised over $70 million before Nov. 6, which doubled Ted Cruz’s estimated $29.7 million. Approximately $52.8 million of this came from ActBlue, an online Democratic crowdsourcing website, which helped spur O’Rourke’s name to national levels.

Beto O'Rourke Campaign Funding

Ted Cruz Campaign Funding

This record-setting amount, however, quickly caused some divide inside the Democratic Party as many political commentators have taken to different platforms, calling for O’Rourke to share the money he has earned amongst other Democratic candidates that could use the extra money. In an interview with the New York Times last month, Matthew Miller, a veteran Democratic strategist came out against the O’Rourke campaign’s hoarding.

“It’s great that O’Rourke has inspired so many people and raised so much money, and if he can spend it all effectively in Texas, he is well within his rights to do so,” Miller said. “But he could have a huge impact for the party by sharing some of it with [the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] so it could be spent in states where candidates just need a little extra to get over the hump.”

... He could have a huge impact for the party by sharing some of it with [the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] so it could be spent in states where candidates just need a little extra to get over the hump.

Matthew Miller

Veteran Democratic strategist

On the other side of the spectrum, Cruz’s campaign has managed to maintain a fairly strong core base of voters that does not sway, yet failed to truly expand to new audiences due to negative public perception. An August poll from Emerson College found Cruz with a 44 percent unfavorable public perception, with only 38 percent viewing him as likeable.

What is your general opinion on Ted Cruz?

Calculating results

Where Cruz managed to succeed in gaining ground, however, was undoubtedly the result of the partisan handling of the Brent Kavanaugh hearings. The early confirmation of Kavanaugh’s hearings, preceding his appointment to the Supreme Court following Justice Kennedy’s retirement, were often interrupted by protestors storming the courthouse where it took place over Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations sexual assault. Democrats campaigned on blocking the Senate’s vote due to Ford’s claims, while Republicans cited the questionable evidence and lack of solid proof for the presumption of innocence. 

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By early October, many news outlets were already declaring the Democrats’ dreams of retaking the Senate as dead due to the claims by Michael Avenatti, lawyer to Christine Blasey Ford and Stormy Daniels, and his last-minute accusations of “rape parties,” perpetrated by Kavanaugh, among many other claims.

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O’Rourke’s campaign, as much as it praises its appeal to the average American citizens, has managed to anger many as a class-action lawsuit was opened by Shawn Jaffer Law Firm last month regarding a violation of the Consumer Protection Act with the sheer volition and quantity of which the campaign has contacted Texan citizens.

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Regardless of the conclusion, many of the trending numbers have raised some eyebrows among analysts. Young voters showed up at the polls in record numbers, with an unprecedented number of female and minority candidates, at 256 and 195 candidates on the ballots, respectively. The Senate race in Texas, which has traditionally been seen a solid red state, has ended up much closer than many expected. Almost universally agreed upon by outlets and analysts, however, is that President Trump will be tough to topple in 2020’s presidential elections.

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