Highlights from the Week
1. The 2022 midterm elections took place on Tuesday, November 8. Results are pending in several states due to races that are too close to call, leaving the majority in the House and Senate still up for either party to grab as of the morning of Thursday, November 10. Results for federal and state races will be available on VoteSmart.org as soon as possible, so check here to learn who won in your state!
2. Abortion policy was on the ballot in five states: Kentucky, Vermont, Michigan, Montana, and California. Kentucky’s measure would have added an amendment to the state constitution explicitly stating that there is not a right to abortion, but the measure was struck down by an estimated margin of five points. Kentucky’s results are particularly interesting considering long-time Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s strong support of abortion bans and his 2022 win margin of twenty three points, possibly suggesting that Kentucky voters are not overwhelmingly supportive of pro-life legislation but are still very supportive of officials who are. Click here to see results from all ballot measures from the 2022 election.
3. As of the morning of Thursday, November 10, Democrats have flipped two gubernatorial seats, in Massachusetts and Maryland. Leading up to the election, some political analysts posited that there might be either a blue wave in reaction to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision or a red wave in response to inflation rates, but initial reports suggest that neither happened. Across the country, there are still races being called as absentee ballots are counted, a voting process which has been increasing in frequency of use since the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to see gubernatorial race results, or click here to read our blog post regarding absentee and mail-in voting.
Elections
By the Elections Research team (Noah, Anthony, Courtney, Seth, Nick & Caleb) and Elections Research Interns (Torin, Tayelon, Juvencio, Maggie, Francesca, and Joelle)
Elections:
Want to learn more about the results of the congressional and gubernatorial races for the 2022 midterm elections? You can see the full list of results for these offices below:
Issue Positions/Political Courage Test:
Want to learn more about the candidates who took the Political Courage Test and their responses in the 2022 midterm elections? You can see the full list of candidates, their responses, and response rates running in various states by office below:
Officials
By the Officials Research team: Thomas, Bibi, Johanan, Neal, Jake, Craig, Israel, and Katie
Public Statements: 2,059 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.
Key Votes:
States: 19 new votes were added.
Delaware passed SB 316 and signed it into law, capping the price of insulin at $35 per month. Insulin prices have increased more than 600% in the last 20 years, and this legislation is aimed at alleviating the financial burden on diabetic individuals.
The governor of Alabama signed HB 123 into law, requiring that mental health coordinators be hired to work in Alabama public schools and establishing criteria for their operations.
The governor of Oklahoma vetoed HB 4474, a bill that intended to alleviate financial burdens on individual citizens by mailing a $75 check to adult Oklahoma citizens who filed taxes last year, applied, and qualified for the program.
Federal Legislation: 0 new votes
Special Interest Groups:
There were 318 endorsements and 12 rating scorecards released to the live web this week, which can be viewed here (organized by group). This year to date, the SIGs team has rated 116,053 candidates and entered endorsements for 44,671 candidates.