A look back at midterms

While the 2022 election may not be officially done yet, the fat lady who is beautiful regardless of how she looks just began her last chorus. As of this morning, there’s only one seat left to be determined – a House race in Colorado currently under mandatory recount – that won’t sway the chamber’s partisan makeup in a significant way.

So with nearly all of the results known, here are three main takeaways:

• 🤑 This was the most expensive election in US history. Per nonprofit watchdog group OpenSecrets, more than $16.7 billion was spent in total this election season across all federal and state races, eclipsing the previous record of $14.4 billion set in 2020. The aforementioned Georgia Senate race outpaced all others in spending ($402 million), followed by Pennsylvania’s Senate race ($374 million).
• 🏛️ It was the first midterm since 1934 where the party in power successfully defended every incumbent Senate seat. A total of 13 sitting Democratic senators were running for re-election, and all of them ended up winning. In the House, Republicans gained at least eight seats and flipped the majority (currently 221R – 213D), but still turned in the worst performance by an out-of-power party since 2002.
• 🗳️ Voter turnout came close to the all-time midterm high set in 2018, driven by strong youth participation. An estimated 47% of eligible voters took part in this year’s midterms, per the US Elections Project, down slightly from a record 49% set four years ago. Likewise, the turnout rate among voters aged 18 to 29 (27%) was the second-highest for a midterm in at least 30 years, behind only 2018 (31%).