Tuesday, Nov. 2 marked the midterm elections, which denotes the halfway point in the Presidential term of Barack Obama. These elections were incredibly important to both Republicans and Democrats and produced a variety of results. This election saw shifts in many different directions, initiated new beginnings and left the American people wondering how different the country may soon start to become.
The heated election period spurs from the current struggle for the Democrats to continue controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate in order to maintain the majority that they have had since 2007. In the end, although the Democrats managed to hang on in the Senate, they were defeated in the House with the Republicans capturing 60+ seats. In sealing the House, the Republicans ousted current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from her position and eventually hope to elect current Minority Leader John Boehner to the head.
Beyond Republican success in the House, the midterm elections saw victories for the GOP at the gubernatorial level. These states include Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Virginia, according to an article released by the Associated Press. It assumed that these states would be heavily contested battlegrounds as the country nears the 2012 presidential election. Unfortunately for the Democrats, these were all states that carried Barack Obama in 2008 and winning them back could pose a challenge.
So is it over for the Democrats in 2012? Although only time will tell, many political analysts are already predicting a Democratic comeback over the next two years. Reasons for this vary, but one example points to the relative success of the Tea Party movement in the elections. Although generally considered to be located on the far right of the political spectrum, the Tea Party’s often-radical position could cause splinters between the moderate conservatives and the Tea Partiers. Wondering which elections produced Tea Party victories and losses? Here is a short list of some of the more publicized elections for the Tea Party and the GOP.
1)Win: Nikki Haley securing the position of Governor in South Carolina. Besides being the first Indian-American female governor, Haley was a heavily backed former candidate in the conservative circuit. She was endorsed by former AlaskanGovernor Sarah Palin in her campaign, had unproven (and denied) accusations of extra-marital affairs, and even a political rival referring to Haley with a racial slur. This media attention vaulted Haley from single-digits in the polls to national exposure and the nomination by the end of June. Soon after, Haley was featured twice on the cover of Newsweek. On Tuesday, Haley defeated Democrat Vincent Sheehan in the narrowest margin ever recorded in a gubernatorial election in South Carolina, according to an article released by TheState.com.
2)Win: Rand Paul as the Senator-elect in Kentucky. Paul has been one of the most heavily watched Tea Party candidates, partially due to the fame of his father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul. His strong statements drew in a variety of voters due to his willingness to say politically risky statements, according to an article published by Newsweek. While other candidates aggressively donned the Tea Party mantle, he was one of the few who were viable campaigners.
3)Loss: Christine O’Donnell in the Delaware Senate race. Perhaps the most publicized Tea Party candidate experienced a loss on Tuesday to Democratic opponent Chris Coons. What is interesting about this situation is that O’Donnell stood a feasible chance of winning the election, but her election and alignment with the GOP turned sour towards the end of the campaign cycle. According to an article in the Washington Post, many people affiliated with the Tea Party assume that the Republicans intentionally weakened her campaign in the primaries so that she would not win in the final run off.
These significant gains and losses for the Tea Party and the GOP as a whole give the impression that this new political movement has become a viable force to be reckoned with. The outcome of these newly elected officials will only become more apparent in subsequent years.
Both Obama’s administration and the President himself have already addressed the reaction to the outcome of the election. Obama said Wednesday that he had been humbled and his party “shellacked” by its landslide losses Tuesday, according to an article published by the San Francisco Chronicle. The President also made it clear that he would stand by his current policies and also that he had done the right thing in pursuing the fiscal stimulus bill, along with health care reform. Obama also said that the reason voters may be frustrated is because the effectiveness of these newly implemented policies is not moving at the rate that the American people would like.
It is safe to say that the next couple of years will see many political changes, with this midterm election undoubtedly considered a landslide for Republicans. According to current House Minority Leader John Boehner, this new majority “will be the voice of the American people” behind an agenda of cutting spending and shrinking government, according to the same article from the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition to these goals, it is likely that Republicans will pursue creating private sector, not public sector, jobs, and made repeal of the health care overhaul.
With the political leanings of the American populous drastically changing in only a two year time span, the White House certainly has reason to worry. It will be interesting to see if the Republicans can work as a collective body, instead of splintering into smaller groups, allowing the Democrats to regain their footing.