Congress and the 2022 Elections
Heading into election day many pundits predicted that Republicans would make significant gains in the House of Representatives and possibly win control of the Senate. However, while Republicans did win control of the House of Representatives, they only had a net gain of 9 seats. Historically, the out-party in the post-World War II has averaged a net gain of 26 seats in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, Democrats gained one seat (Pennsylvania). For the first time since 1934 the president’s party did not lose any Senate seats that it controlled before the election. After the election there was much discussion over why Republicans had underperformed during the 2022 election.
Instructors: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download: Congress and the 2022 Elections
Videos
News Articles
Biden Says the Red Wave Didn’t Happen.; Reelection Decision Will Come Next Year
New York Times
11/9/2022
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/11/09/us/election-updates-results
No Red Wave or Blue Wave Despite Social Media Predictions
Forbes
11/19/2022
Democrats Defy “Red Wave” To Keep Senate Control
Reuters
11/13/2022
Why No Red Wave?
The Hill
11/16/2022
https://thehill.com/opinion/3737248-mellman-why-no-red-wave/
Americans Take A Stand for Decency As the Red Wave Turns to Dust, Surprising Us All
USA Today
11/9/2022
There’s No Red Wave in the Data. The Pollster Who Got the Midterms Right
Vanity Fair
11/9/2022
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/11/the-pollster-who-got-the-midterms-right
A Red Wave In Florida. A Blue Riptide in Michigan
538
11/21/2022
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/republicans-house-election-margin/
Assessment
Debate: Is it better for one party to control Congress and another to control the presidency?
A record number of women were elected to Congress in 2018. How will this affect Congress?
Poll: Is it bad for the country that states are becoming more polarized in congressional elections?
Short Answer: How will the fact Democrats gained one seat in the Senate affect the chamber?
