As we gather to toast ’22 and reflect on "Auld Lang Syne," now is the perfect time to look back on the real political winners and losers from the 2022 midterms. In fact, there are very clear heroes (and even some zeros) following the tighter-than-predicted election.
The biggest hero on the right is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who won re-election by 1.5 million votes after winning by just over 32,000 votes four short years ago. DeSantis flipped Democratic stronghold Miami-Dade County for the first time in two decades, turned Palm Beach country red for the first time since 1986, and won 58% of the Latino vote. His coattails were strong enough to flip four down-ballot congressional districts, helping deliver control of the House to the GOP, and he is, for the time being the most popular Republican in the party, leading former President Donald Trump in many head-to-head matchups. As we enter 2023, the Republican world is Ron DeSantis’ and Donald Trump is living in it, albeit from his palatial Mar-a-Lago estate and club.
With these results, it’s no wonder why former President Donald Trump has spent the past few weeks lashing out against "Ron DeSanctimonious." Lame nicknames aside, it appears the former president has simply lost his mojo. High-profile endorsements in critical GOP senate primaries allowed MAGA candidates clear the Republican field but this ‘Scarlet T’ kept independent voters wary and away.
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Of course, the former president does not deserve all of the blame for a historically bad election for his party. U.S. Senator Rick Scott, R-FL, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), charged with recruiting and funding winning candidates for the upper chamber, shares a great deal of blame, too. The NRSC under Scott’s watch became a hotbed of internal tension, failed candidate recruitment and gross budgetary incompetence. In addition, his sloppily unveiled "Rescue America" plan, which proposed massive changes to Medicare and Social Security, was used in attack ads across the country, and Scott’s efforts saw Democrats actually expand their lead in the upper chamber. As if losing the Senate majority was not enough, Scott challenged Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, to lead the now-smaller Senate GOP Caucus, embarrassing himself with yet another disappointing loss.
One of Rick Scott’s worst losses was in Pennsylvania. Democrats coalesced behind former small-town mayor and sitting Lt. Governor John Fetterman, D-PA, a rising star in the commonwealth. For some reason, Republicans have never been able to understand the appeal of this Carhart hoodie-clad, working-class hero from Western Pennsylvania. So, in response, they nominated a multi-millionaire, pseudo-science-hawking-celebrity-doctor who lived in New Jersey and who spoke of grabbing cruditè from mispronounced grocery stores and drank wine at Eagles football tailgates. Even with his recent health challenges, I expect Senator-elect Fetterman will continue to defy expectations, and flummox Republicans, in the coming years.
It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Charlie Crist, Beto O’Rourke, and Stacey Abrams are three Democratic candidates who have lost a combined eight high-profile statewide races. Good candidates finish strong and, despite strong headwinds, try to help carry down ballot candidates win. Despite national political attention and raising (and spending) millions of dollars, all three candidates underperformed in critical battleground states.
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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer stands in contrast to these Democrats and demonstrates how our party can win big in the Rust Belt. Not only did Whitmer win re-election by double digits, she helped Michigan Democrats gain control of the state House for the first time since 2008 and the state Senate for the first time in 38 years. A telegenic and effective governor, Whitmer is one of the brightest stars in the party as she prepares for a likely presidential bid at some point in the next six years.
An unsung-hero for both the Republican Party and our country is retiring Senator Rob Portman, R-OH, an example that comity and principled compromise can still exist in Washington. A senator with 68 pieces of legislation signed into law by President Barack Obama and 82 signed by President Donald Trump, Portman will close out his career with recent bipartisan victories that improve the lives of the American people, including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, and his unwavering support for Ukrainian freedom — for which he was awarded the Ukrainian Legion of Merit.
As a former surrogate for President Joe Biden, it is probably unsurprising that I finish my list of winners with him. 2022 was a banner year for the president, securing more significant legislative victories, in less time, than any Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also bucked historic first midterm trends by gaining a seat in the U.S. Senate, allowing Democrats to fully control that body and most importantly continue approving his judicial appointments at a record clip. From the unprecedented number of bipartisan legislative victories to rallying and uniting the free world in support of the Ukrainian people in their fight against Russian aggression, to unexpected electoral and legislative victories, Biden has a strong mandate in the next two years ahead.
There are certainly honorable mentions for both parties for additional winners, like Governor Brian Kemp, R-GA, and Governor-elect Josh Shapiro, D-PA, or losers like Congressman-elect George Santos, R-NY and the failed New York Democratic Party redistricting efforts.
But the biggest question for next year is who on this list is able to remain, or even become, a winner. As Americans gear up for divided government and head into the 2024 presidential primaries, Trump hopes he can flip his fortunes. Biden and DeSantis hope they can sustain theirs, and some are waiting with bated breath to make their moves should any of these circumstances change. 2023 is shaping up to be a wild ride — Happy New Year and buckle up!
