Midterm elections splits the votes

By: Matthew Fiebke

Staff Writer

Opinion

The highly anticipated 2018 midterm election on Nov. 6 saw the results many predicted.

The House of Representatives was flipped to democratic control and at the same time, Republicans strengthen control of the Senate.

Bolstered by suburban areas, Democrats won congressional districts that were voted Republican in 2016. However, the Senate seats flipped by Republicans were mainly taken away from red state democrats.

There was a growing trend in the 2018 election of division between urban and rural areas, something not uncommon within the United States. The differences between the House and the Senate are on full display now that they are gridlocked.

One of the original reasons behind the creation of the Senate was each state would be represented equally. Two members from each state serves for a six-year term. Members of the House, of which there are 435, run for reelection every two years and are drawn according to population (larger population means more districts per state).

The most obvious outcome of the divide is the check will now be on both parties. The control of the courts are still solidly in the hands of the Republican Senate. The Senate has a majority of 51 over the democrat’s 46 with another two senators being independents.

It is well known that the three branches of government are designed to be a check on one another, but the same is true for both chambers of Congress. The Senate’s long-serving members are considered the “upper house” of Congress.

The House of Representatives with its large membership represents the ever-changing pace of life in America. Short, two-year terms allow voters to maintain control of the government. The midterms are called such because they occur in the middle of the president’s term, allowing for a check on the current leadership.

The differences are evident in this year’s elections, with the many districts that voted Republican in 2016 now voting Democrat.

The democratic House now controls legislation, government funding and importantly the ability to oversee crucial matters. The voters decision to flip the House in a booming economy with a low unemployment rate shows nothing if not for the desire for a check on government.

The Republican’s solidification of their hold on the Senate came at the expense of some of their more moderate members and red-state democrats. Seats filled by incoming Republicans such as Trump-critic Bob Corker’s from Tennessee, are now held by Trump allies such as Barbara Blackburn (R-TN).

Red-state democrats were able to hold on in their previous elections got the rug pulled from beneath them with the heated Kavanaugh hearings. Moderate democrats such as Jon Tester (D-MT) were able to hold on to their seats however, despite strong Republican challenges.

It can be argued that election night results did not present a blue wave, and in fact, many democrats who won ran on a moderate platform.

Governor races such as those by Stacey Abrams of Georgia and Andrew Gilliam of Florida ran on strong progressive platforms in red states, and ultimately these candidates lost.

Moderate democrats such as those in Kansas where Laura Kelly defeated Kris Kobach, an outspoken Trump ally. While some moderates such as Texas’ Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke lost their races, moderate democrats in traditionally red seats were key to the democratic victory in the House.

The historical precedent for political divide is no stranger to American politics. Some fear damage to our democracy from the current division in our society. The right and the left pull at each other in a game of tug of war that is as much cultural as it is political. Small-town, blue-collar, rural life versus the diversity of big cities and America’s gradual progression to a white-minority country.

Is this truly an era that will be looked upon as one of the most fraught in The United States’ history?

The midterm elections ultimately represent the old-time divide of America. In the relatively short time this nation has existed, it had faced incredibly desperate times. The gears of representative democracy have ultimately overcome these challenges, with those that would challenge it ultimately failing. America has always been divided.

Though it would be impossible to predict what will happen, there is no doubt the next two years will be long and difficult. Though times are tough, have faith that our great American experiment will prevail, but only if we take responsibility for it.