Raphael Warnock Of Georgia

Raphael Warnock Wins Full Term In The Senate, Another Repudiation Of Donald Trump!

Senator Raphael Warnock won a full term in the US Senate tonight, overcoming the challenge of former football player and Republican nominee Herschel Walker, and repudiating Donald Trump once again!

With a 51-49 Democratic US Senate in the 118th Congress, the committees will have a Democratic edge in membership, and this will make legislation and other actions much easier to accomplish, than the 50-50 Senate that was in play in the present 117th Congress.

So this victory added to the very successful Midterm Elections of 2022 for the Democratic Party!

New Membership Of Upcoming 118th Congress (2023-2025)

The upcoming 118th Congress (2023-2025) will have 84 new members, 77 new Congressmen and women, and seven US Senators.

The number of US Senators since 1789 has finally reached over 2,000, with a total of 2,001, but when Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska resigns to become the President of the University of Florida, the number will rise to 2002!

The new US Senators replaced those who retired, and every Senator up for election won, except the Georgia Senate race is in a runoff between Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican opponent Herschel Walker, the former football star from decades ago, who has clearly suffered brain damage and makes no sense at all in what he says!

Hopefully, on December 6, Warnock will win a full term, which he richly deserves!

Projections On Midterm Elections Of 2022

Here we are, a day before the Midterm Elections of 2022, so it is time to project the results, with trepidation about what is likely to happen tomorrow.

The odds are heavily in favor of the Republicans winning the House of Representatives, since they only need to gain five seats, so sadly, my projection is that they will gain about 20 seats, giving them an edge of about 15 seats–so a balance of about 232-203.

The Senate will remain Democratic in my estimate, with the following results:

Retention of presently held Democratic seats:

Mark Kelly, Arizona
Raphael Warnock, Georgia
Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire

However, the loss of Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada!

Open Seats Gained by Democrats:

Tim Ryan, Ohio
John Fetterman, Pennsylvania
Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin

The end result would be 52 Democrats and Independents and 48 Republicans!

In the Governorships, Democrats gain seats:

Wes Moore, Maryland
Maura Healey, Massachusetts
Beto O’Rourke, Texas

So we would end up with 25 Democrats and 25 Republicans as Governors of their states.

So the elections will be a mixed bag, with both Democrats and Republicans able to claim vindication.

Sadly, however, Florida will remain strongly Republican both for the US Senate and the Governorship.

The Midterm Elections of 2022 will be seen as a “Red Ripple”, with less of a repudiation of Joe Biden than it was for earlier Presidents who saw much greater losses!

12 Days To Go, and A Nail Biting Election Coming Up!

This author and blogger cannot recall the tension and emotions that are being felt around the upcoming Midterm Elections of 2022 ever being quite as intense in past cycles.

It could be a poor memory, or seeing the past with rose colored glasses!

But literally, EVERY Senate race, EVERY House race, and EVERY Gubernatorial race is so significant for the future of American democracy, which is on the verge of being lost to the MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump!

With only about six vote margin in the House of Representatives, and an evenly split US Senate for only the 4th time in American history, and with Governors having tremendous power and influence on an issue such as abortion rights, every citizen needs to vote!

Last night’s debate in Pennsylvania leaves one worried about the performance of John Fetterman, as it could be the Senate election that decides Senate control in the 118th Congress. But also, the Georgia race of Raphael Warnock; the Ohio race of Tim Ryan; the Wisconsin race of Mandela Barnes; the North Carolina race of Cheri Beasley; the Florida race of Val Demings; the New Hampshire race of Maggie Hassan; the Nevada race of Catherine Cortez Masto; the Arizona race of Mark Kelly; and the Iowa race of Michael Franken, are all crucial.

And Governorship races, particularly in Michigan with Gretchen Whitmer; in Arizona with Katie Hobbs; in Florida with Charlie Crist; in Texas with Beto O’Rourke, are all significant for the future!

Potential For More African American Senators In 118th Congress (2023-2024)

The potential exists for the US Senate in the 118th Congress to have more African American members than ever before.

Altogether, there have been eleven African American Senators in American history, with three serving for the first time in 2017 when Kamala Harris joined the Senate, adding to Tim Scott and Cory Booker.

Raphael Warnock became the third serving at the same time, replacing Harris, who became Vice President in 2021!

Now, with Scott and Booker in the Senate, and Warnock running for reelection against another African American, former football player Herschel Walker, at least three African Americans will serve in the next Congress.

But there are others who are running for election to the Senate, including:

Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida against Senator Marco Rubio

Charles Booker of Kentucky against Senator Rand Paul

Cheri Beasley of North Carolina against Congressman Ted Budd

Mandela Barnes of Wisconsin against Senator Ron Johnson

So there could, in theory, be SEVEN African American Senators in the 118th Congress, if fortune worked out!