Tuesday, September 13th was the last primary election date of the season and the polls have closed. America has spoken and we have seen a major increase in voter registration in the past weeks especially after the rollback on Roe vs Wade. According to an NPR poll,  “abortion and inflation collide as top issues in midterm elections.” After the “blue wave” that we saw in 2018 we saw a major shift in beliefs and emerging we saw a progressive movement of young people who support policies like a Green New deal, Medicare for all, free college tuition, and debt relief. 

In the past few months we have seen major disapproval of President Joe Biden up until the student loan debt relief was introduced that allows middle-class communities to get up to 10k in student loan debt forgiveness.  President Biden stated shortly after the announcement that he believes that post-high school education should be a “ticket to a middle-class life, but for too many, the cost of borrowing for college is a lifelong burden that deprives them of that opportunity.”

According to The Hill, “most Americans support student loan forgiveness.” President Biden also gained a lot of approval and sparked a nationwide debate over whether this is deflecting on inflation. Even though Biden’s approval rating surged after the student loan forgiveness plan, republicans are almost entirely against it. 

Many corporations interfered  with elections this round and extreme money was used against progressives. According to The Intercept, “Newman faced challenges from outside Congress and within: outside groups that spent just under half a million dollars against her, and a congressional ethics probe that ultimately hurt her candidacy. Hers is the first loss of an incumbent backed by Justice Democrats.” 

Republicans are still on track to win the house, while Democrats are set to hold the senate. Some main races to watch this fall will be Pennsylvania’s senate race where Democrat John Fetterman faces Dr. Oz with a passion backed campaign that is becoming more and more tense. John Fetterman has maintained a lead over Oz, but the race is still likely a tossup. 

In Georgia, Senate Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock takes on Herschel Walker while still maintaining a fluctuating lead in the margin of error. Warnock won a special election runoff in January 2021 and is now seeking a full six-year term. He raised a jaw breaking amount of $13.6 million in the first three months of the year, which follows impressive earlier quarterly hauls, and is running direct-to-camera ads on issues with bipartisan appeal such as jobs, infrastructure and health care, but will it be enough to win the seat? 

Meanwhile, Democrats hope that Warnock and Democratic nominee candidate Stacey Abrams, who had a shocking loss in 2018 and claimed voter suppression by the DNC, will generate the base turnout they desperately need in a midterm year. The momentum has been switching sides for much of the season and we hope to see more voters out at the polls this November 8th.