Nov 05 2014
GOP Triumphs In Congressional Midterms, While Voters Pass Progressive Initiatives
Republicans won 7 additional seats in the US Senate in yesterday’s midterm elections and added 13 seats in the House, claiming a majority in both Chambers of Congress. In fact nearly every Senate race that was in question fell to the GOP. The last time a Democrat occupied the White House and faced an opposition Congress was in 1994 when Bill Clinton was President.
Among the major losses for Democrats were Senator Mark Udall of Colorado and Senator Mark Begich of Alaska who both lost to their Republican challengers. Even Independent Greg Orman who may have caucused with the Democrats, lost to Pat Roberts in Kansas. In Louisiana, neither Democrat Mary Landrieu nor Republican Bill Cassidy won enough votes for a decisive victory and so both will head into a run off election in December.
Among the governors races were several upsets as well. Republicans won three solidly blue states: Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Scott Walker narrowly retained his seat in Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania a Democrat claimed a sole victory with Tom Wolf ousting Republican Tom Corbett. In Vermont, neither incumbent Democrat Peter Shumlin nor Republican challenger Scott Milne won 50%, making the state legislature the arbiter of the race.
Ballot measures were another matter. Five states where minimum wage increases were on the ballot were all passed. Three marijuana legalization measures passed, including one in Washington DC. Two out of three anti-abortion measures failed. Two statewide GMO labeling laws failed while two other measures severely restricting GMO testing at the county level actually passed. California’s Proposition 47 which reduces drug possession charges from felonies to misdemeanors passed resoundingly.
Voter turnout was predictably low. Exit polling suggested voters were angry about President Obama’s performance over the poor state of the economy for working people.
GUEST: Zoë Carpenter is a reporter in The Nation’s Washington, DC bureau. She has written for Rolling Stone, Guernica and the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Click here to read Carpenter’s writing.
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