So much for the Red Wave. The polls were indicating a Republican takeover and even left-leaning media outlets were predicting it as inevitable. But what actually happened? It turns out, people stayed home in droves. Voter turnout was lower than expected, particularly among Republicans. And there are also a troubling number of reports of election “irregularities.” While it’s impossible to quantify the extent of any potential foul play, it’s clear that something went awry on election day. So much for the imagined Red Wave. In reality, it appears that Republicans didn’t turn out to vote in sufficient numbers and there were systemic issues with the electoral process itself echoing back to 2020. It’s a disappointment and a wakeup call for future elections.
However, a Republican red wave did sweep over Florida while skipping most of the country Tuesday, leaving the GOP hoping for a small majority in the House and control of the Senate.
The Daily Wire reports, Voter displeasure with President Joe Biden failed to translate into any kind of GOP mandate despite polls that had Republicans expecting to take 35 seats.
As the results came in, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said, “Definitely not a Republican wave.”
New Hampshire and Washington, two key Senate seats Republicans hoped to flip, went to incumbent Democrats.
A win by Republican J.D. Vance over Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan was necessary as GOP Rep. Rob Portman vacated the seat.
Despite Republicans’ hopes of holding Pennsylvania, Democrat John Fetterman won by less than 1% early Wednesday. Dr. Mehmet Oz conceded that race shortly after.
The hotly contested Georgia Senate race will head to a runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican former NFL player Herschel Walker as neither candidate garnered the 50% of the vote needed to clinch the seat outright under state rules. The two Senate hopefuls will head to a Dec. 6 runoff.
Meanwhile, as noted by FOX, 4 Senate seats are still up for grabs in Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin and Arizona – as those races are still too close to call.
The final House tally could take days, but Republicans are still expected to win enough seats to replace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. While Republicans have pledged to stop the Biden agenda, they may not have the support of the Senate.
“The RED WAVE did not happen,” tweeted Rep. Mayra Flores, R-TX, who lost the seat she won earlier this year in a special election. “Republicans and Independents stayed home. DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RESULTS IF YOU DID NOT DO YOUR PART!”
Despite predictions of a Republican takeover, we were able to hold our ground and ride the “Red Wave” to Florida. While we may be disappointed that we weren’t able to snag more victories, we live to fight another day. And one question we need to ask ourselves is whether or not the polls made our fellow Republicans stay home on election day. Did they secure complacency instead of motivating them to get out and vote? We also can’t ignore the reports of irregularities in the electoral process – we need to continue fighting for fair and transparent elections at every level. In these uncertain times, we must redouble our efforts and keep pushing forward towards progress and justice. The battle isn’t over yet – we must continue fighting for what’s right.
