Eleanor Miskovsky `19
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Annie Paxton `21
Staff Writer
The midterm elections, which are held biannually to elect members of the House of Representatives, Senate, and state and local government positions, attracted national attention and student participation.
Before the elections, Republicans held the majority in both the House and Senate. Democrats regained the House majority by 40 seats; Republicans maintained the Senate.
Frequently called “a night of firsts,” the midterms elected the youngest congresswoman in United States history, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as an unprecedented number of women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Also, voter turnout rates have soared since the 2014 midterm elections. More than an estimated 113 million people voted, up from the 83 million votes cast in 2014.
It was a night of firsts for many in the Visitation community as well. Some seniors voted for the first time in the midterms. Said Jane McAvoy `19, “It was cool to take part in something bigger than myself …It was awesome to finally be able to put my opinion into society.”
“It’s something I’m able to do and there are a lot of people who wish they could vote but can’t,” said Cat Lemus `19.
Many students, regardless of voting eligibility, involved themselves in the results of the midterms.
Daniel Petri, AP American Government and AP Comparative Politics teacher, hosted a watch party for students and faculty Nov. 6.
According to Petri, the watch party was organized so that attendees “could talk about the significance of what was happening, and what the impact would be: who controls Congress, and why that is relevant,” said Petri.
Former Chair of Catholics for Obama in 2012 Steve Schneck was present at the event to offer insight and explain certain outcomes.
Cecelia Zubler `19, who attended the watch party, said, “We had been studying the election in class so we learned a lot about how the elections looked in other parts of the country, which is not necessarily the same as they look in DC, which I think is important because we can become caught up in the DC bubble … Watching the election results shows how elections looked throughout the country and how Americans are feeling right now.”
Preceding the election, analysts called for a “Blue wave,” or a sweeping Democratic victory. Professionals disagree, however, on whether the results lived up to this prediction.
Said Petri, “Democrats got almost 9 percent more of the popular vote across the whole country than Republicans. That’s the largest margin recorded in recent history.”
“Two years ago,” he continued, “Everyone talked about how Republicans were going to win more seats in these midterm elections. If anyone is disappointed about Democrats performing poorly, I think their expectations were entirely out-of-whack and unreasonable.”
Some disappointments for the Democrats included Andrew Gillum’s narrow loss of the governor’s election in Fla., Beto O’ Rourke’s senate loss in Tex., and incumbent Claire McKaskill’s loss of her seat in the Senate in Missouri.
Republicans, however, lost 40 seats in the House, including districts that have favored President Donald Trump, such as New York’s 22n, which incumbent Claudia Tenney lost.
To Petri, the most dramatic turnover was the 48th district in California, which includes Orange County.
Said Petri, “The Congressional District in Orange County has consistently voted Republican since the Forties. Orange County is now represented by zero Republicans.” Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan both launched their Presidential campaigns in Orange County.
A number of states proceeded to run-offs or special elections, including Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana.
No matter the outcomes, the election marked an important milestone for students’ role as citizens.
3 Key Issues
The Economy
Satisfaction, or lack thereof, with the state of the economy was a driving force for voters in the midterm elections. According to Pew Research, about 74 percent of voters claimed the economy was an extremely important issue for their vote.
As with other issues, a divide existed between parties. Eighty five percent of Republican voters claimed the economy was a very important issue, as opposed to the 66 percent of Democratic voters who said the same.
Health Care
According to Pew Research, about 75 percent of voters said health care was a very important factor in their vote. About 88 percent of Democratic voters viewed health care as important, as opposed to approximately 60 percent of Republican voters.
Immigration
A frequently discussed topic in the news, immigration proved to highly influence voters in the midterm elections. Voter opinions on immigration differ sharply according to party.
According to a Pew Research study, 75 percent of GOP voters say undocumented immigrants are a “very big” problem in the country today. 19 percent of Democratic voters said the same. Fifty-seven percent of Democratic voters said the way immigrants who are in the country illegally are treated is a very big problem, but just 15 percent of Republican voters said this.
The Wicket 