The midterm election had the potential to change a lot in the political world, and they did not disappoint. 

This year, there were 65 females elected, 35 to the House of Representatives (the House) and the remainder to other positions. The elections set records for our country.  

The first Native American women, Sharife Davids and Deb Haaland, were elected into congress. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan are also two record setting women; becoming the first Muslim women elected into congress. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest women to be elected to congress. 

The people of the United States determine who gets elected into the house and congress by voting. Elections were held on November 6th, 2018. However, some allowed polls to open early for a higher voter turnout.  

Midterm elections take place halfway through a president’s four-year term. Many political seats are up for grabs. These include congressional seats, mayoral races, and county sheriffs.  

This year we elected 35 out of 100 seats in congress, and 36 out of 50 states held elections for governor. 

In a Florida Senate race, Republican Rick Scott beat Democrat Bill Nelson by just .15 percent. This was a big deal because by law any race within a .25 percent margin must go to a hand recount, meaning the result was not announced on election night, something highly unusual. In addition, Florida’s race for governor went to an electronic recount with republican Ron DeSantis beating Democrat Andrew Gillum by just .41 percent. 

Georgia also had a very tight race for Governor. Republican Brian Kemp came out as the winner over Democrat Stacey Abrams, winning 50.27 percent of the vote. This race garnered additional attention after Kemp, the acting Secretary of State in charge of overseeing elections in Georgia, was accused of suppressing voter access.  In addition, voting had to be extended due to long lines.  

Arizona held another tight race, with Democrat Kyrsten Sinema beating Republican Martha McSally for a Senate seat by 1.7 percent.  Sinema’s win marks the first time since 1976 that a Democrat has held that seat. 

In the end, the United States Senate remained held by Republicans, while Democrats managed to seize control of the house, with 234 seats. Because the Senate and House are no longer held by the same party, many believe the next two years will bring gridlock and few new laws will be passed.