Tuesday, November 6 was a significant day for American citizens. This is when the midterm elections for the legislative branch of the United States government, also known as the Senate and House of Representatives, took place. For the past two years Republicans had the majority in the Senate, the House, and the Oval Office, allowing the Republican party to pass more conservative laws. These laws included a tax cut for both businesses and individuals, a spending of appropriation bill that included an increase in military spending, and for domestic programs. These bills benefitted our society because the lower tax rates allowed for Americans to earn more from their hard earned paychecks; the increase in military spending not only gave our troops a pay raise, but access to more high tech weaponry and equipment— keeping our country safer.

Now that the House belongs to the Democratic party, there will need to be a bipartisan effort from both houses to pass legislation. For example, both parties have stated that the country desperately needs infrastructure repair like roads, bridges, dams, and airport renovations. It will be interesting to see if congressional leaders from the different regions of America can negotiate and compromise to find a happy medium.

The Republicans won tight senate races in Missouri, Indiana, North Dakota, and Florida that were crucial to retain control. The 33 lost seats in the House of Representatives did not come to a surprise for President Trump’s national job approval rate was an even 40%. This may seem like a low number but according to Gallup News, Former President Obama received the exact same 40% approval during his first term. Although not a ringing endorsement for the majority party, historically speaking things could have been much worse.  For the current House of Representatives, -33 is a very significant number, it heavily determines which party gets control. The -33 lost seats may seem like a large loss but it isn’t as drastic as the 63 lost seats in Former President Obama’s 2010 midterm election and Former President Clinton’s 54 lost seats in 1994. These numbers prove that Americans do support the Republican party and mainly approve President Trump’s performance during his first term, contrary to what the media portrays.

Important Wins for the Republican Party Senate

Indiana: Mike Braun (51%) vs Joe Donnelly (45.1%)

Florida: Rick Scott (50.08%) vs Bill Nelson (49.92%)

Tennessee: Marsha Blackburn (54.73%) vs Phil Bredesen (43.89%)

Texas: Ted Cruz (50.93%) vs Bret O’Rourke (48.29%)

Mississippi: Roger Wicker (58.85%) vs David Baria (39.14%)

Missouri: Josh Hawley (51.46%) vs Claire McCaskill (45.5%)

North Dakota: Kevin Cramer (55.45%) vs Heidi Heitkamp (44.55%)

Utah: Mitt Romney (62.91%) vs Jenny Wilson (30.76%)