The 2022 midterm elections were a defining moment for the United States after 2020 saw the election of President Joe Biden, accompanied in office by the first woman to fill the shoes of Vice President, Kamala Harris and an insurrection by a mob of angry protestors in favor of the incumbent, President Donald Trump, on Jan. 6, 2021.

Typically following the election of a president of either a Democrat or Republican, the midterm elections will see many seats flip in favor of the opposing party. For the 2022 midterm elections, many politicians spoke of a “red wave” of Republican victories. In a turn of events, the impending red wave showed up at the polls as only a splash. The House of Representatives was flipped in favor of Republicans after previously being held by Democrats, but the Senate majority remained in favor of Democrats. 

The historical election saw a number of firsts in terms of demographics represented in Congress; Democrat Maxwell Frost, at 25 years old, becomes the first member of Gen-Z to take a seat in the House of Representatives. Frost will be representing the 10th Congressional District, located in the surrounding area of Orlando. Gun violence was a focal point of Frost’s campaign. 

Many politicians turned to blame Gen-Z for the unexpected election turnout. Conservative author Brigitte Gabriel tweeted, “Raise the voting age to 21,” following the election while Fox News commentator Jesse Watters claimed on the Fox News segment “The Five” that the young voter turnout in an off year was “concerning;” Watters claimed they must have been “brainwashed” into voting blue by single-women teaching in schools. 

Other firsts to hold office include the first Alaskan Native in congress, Democrat Mary Peltola, who obtained the only house seat representing Alaska during a special election earlier this year and in the midterms was elected for a full term. Democrat James Roesener became the first state legislature to be out as a transgender man, elected to serve in the 22nd state House District, Ward 8, in New Hampshire.

The two closely watched elections in Georgia were that of the governor and the senate seat currently held by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D), who won the seat during the 2020 special election against Trump-appointed Kelly Loeffler (R). Additionally, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger secured re-election over Democrat state Rep. Bee Nguyen, despite his dissension of Republican favorite, Trump.

The governor’s seat again came down to incumbent Brain Kemp (R) and Stacey Abrams (D). Despite a well-fought battle between both parties, ultimately Abrams conceded the victory to Gov. Kemp as he began to surpass the majority vote requirement to win the office.

The battle for the Senate seat will conclude Tuesday, Dec. 6 in a run-off election after neither Sen. Warnock nor his opponent, the controversial Herschel Walker (R), were able to secure the majority result to declare a victory. Early voting was permitted on Nov. 26 despite falling within five days of both a national holiday and a state-recognized holiday, which typically inhibits early voting within the time period. Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to campaign for Sen. Warnock on Dec. 1, the eve of the final day of early voting. 

While the seat no longer holds the significance of defining the senate majority after the victory of Democrat incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, the close election teetered the Senate majority in favor of the Democrats. Regardless, a win by Sen. Warnock would still hold significance in congress to ensure Democrat-backed legislation is passed. The fate of Georgia politics will be substantially affected by the results of the run-off election.