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Election Watch: Who won and how it affects you

Paste BN

Happy day-after-the-election. What happened – and most importantly, how could that affect you? Keep reading to find out.

It was too close to call Tuesday night: Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Tony Evers were locked in a tight race to lead Wisconsin, with a possible recount looming. Then, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Evers pulled away with the victory. Meanwhile, Democrat Tammy Baldwin kept her seat in the Senate while Republicans held on to most of the state’s House seats. See all the results here. But for now, let’s get national.

Welcome to Election Watch 2018 from the Paste BN Network, your to-the-point briefing on Tuesday's midterms. In this special-edition newsletter, we'll:

  • Sum up the big races from Congress to statehouses
  • Provide quick and smart analysis on what it all means
  • Show you must-read stories that unfolded at the polls

You can explore the detailed results for every race. But let's get to the highlights.

You're receiving this information newsletter as a special service because you subscribe to the Top 5 newsletter. Paywalls have been lifted on our sites and apps to provide you key election information free of charge, so please head there for more information from your communities.

Who won (and what it means)

Republicans came out of Tuesday's midterms with an even wider margin of control in the Senate. And Democrats woke up Wednesday with the prize they had hoped for: control of the House of Representatives. What does this power split in Washington mean for the country moving forward? Expect gridlock, and a bumpier path for many items on President Donald Trump's agenda.

In the Senate, Republicans expanded their narrow majority, toppling incumbent Democrats in Florida, Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota. The Senate gains look good for Trump, who devoted much time in the final stretch to helping Republican Senate candidates. Their wins also gave Democrats the dishonor of winning the House without gaining Senate seats  for the first time since 1914. 

In the House, Democrats didn't catch the so-called “blue wave," but the party won dozens of competitive contests in states to turn the House into a check on the president. (New Jersey will have its smallest delegation of Republicans since 1912.) Trump's legislative agenda probably will be mostly challenged by the shift, and Democratic leaders have signaled they would launch investigations they had previously lacked the power to open.

As for the governors' races: Republicans scored a huge win in Florida and held the lead in Georgia in a race everyone's still watching. But overall, Democrats emerged from Election Day with new claims on governors' mansions in Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin. We'll feel these results in 2020 and beyond as governors boost presidential candidates of their party and influence House district boundaries for the next midterm elections.

What we noticed

Is it 2020 already?! Trump campaigned more aggressively than any other modern president during the election midway through his term, defining the 2018 midterms. And Democratic presidential hopefuls used the campaign to audition, with Senators Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders all appearing in Iowa. 

Native American and Muslim women are headed to Congress for the first time, and female candidates broke records for every sort of office. In another first, Iowa elected women to the House. A record number of women donated to campaigns, too, the Center for Responsive Politics reported. 

Colorado elected the first openly gay governor, one of many historic wins for women and minorities. Florida voted to restore felon rights, while Michigan legalized recreational marijuana. Kentucky Republican Kim Davis — the country clerk jailed for refusing to license a same-sex marriage — lost her re-election bid. Indicted Republican Rep.Christopher Collins looks poised to win in New York. Oh, and an alleged "Bigfoot erotica" devotee won a seat in Congress. 

Just their opinions

Opinion columns from across the Paste BN Network:

Must-read stories from the polls

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