2022 United States elections

2022 United States elections

← 2020          2021          2022          2023          2024 → Midterm elections
Election day	November 8
Incumbent president	Joe Biden (Democratic)
Next Congress	118th
Senate elections
Seats contested	35 of 100 seats (34 seats of Class III + special elections)
Map of the 2022 Senate races      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Runoff      Result unknown      No election Rectangular inset (Oklahoma): both seats up for election
House elections
Seats contested	All 435 voting seats +5 of 6 non-voting seats
Map of the 2022 House races      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Result unknown
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested	39 (36 states, 3 territories)
Map of the 2022 gubernatorial elections      Democratic gain      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold      Runoff      Result unknown      No election

The 2022 United States elections were a set of elections that were primarily (with the exception of absentee balloting) held on November 8, 2022. During this midterm election year, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were contested. Thirty-nine state and territorial gubernatorial elections, as well as numerous other state and local elections, were contested. The results will determine the 118th United States Congress. This was the first election affected by the 2022 U.S. redistricting that followed the 2020 U.S. census. A predicted red wave, named after the color of the Republican Party, did not materialize and the race for U.S. Congress control has been closer than expected.

While midterm elections often see the president's party lose a significant number of seats in Congress, preliminary results instead saw Democratic Party candidates dramatically overperform these historical trends, making this the best performance for the president's party since the 1950 U.S. midterm elections. Meanwhile, Republican Party candidates that were backed by Donald Trump or that denied the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election underperformed compared to election analysts' predictions of a more Republican-leaning national environment and Republican expectations. Both general turnout and among young voters (18–29) was the second highest (after 2018) of any midterm since 1970.

Issues that favored Democrats included significant concern over extremism and respect for democratic norms among Republicans, abortion rights, and a potential Trump and Desaints 2024 election campaign. The elections continued trends starting in 2012, in which Republicans made gains among the working-class, especially whites and since 2016 also working-class minorities like Hispanics, while Democrats continued to improve among affluent and college-educated whites.

Six referendums to preserve or expand abortion access uniformly won, including in the states of Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Montana, as did those increasing the minimum wage (Nebraska and Nevada) and expanding Medicaid coverage (South Dakota). In other elections, Democrats gained full control of government in Michigan and Minnesota. Democrats made further gains in the 2022 U.S. gubernatorial elections (Maryland and Massachusetts), while Republicans did particularly well in Florida.

Campaign

Primaries

In 2022, Democratic campaign arms aided radical-right candidates in Republican primary elections, believing they would be easier opponents in the general election. Republican primary candidates who had been endorsed by former president Donald Trump tended to win with his support being crucial for many. Progressives within the Democratic Party saw mixed results, with both progressives and moderates winning important races.

Issues

Economy

See also: 2021–2022 inflation surge

Voters suffered from historically high consumer prices, gas prices, and interest rates, which Republicans blamed on President Biden's and Democratic policies. The economy remained the top issue for voters throughout 2022.

Abortion

See also: Abortion in the United States

Following the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Democrats outperformed Biden's results in the 2020 U.S. presidential election in several House special elections, with abortion cited as a major contributor to their victories. The Dobbs ruling made abortion more important for voters, with a rise in support among women for the Democratic Party coming after the decision. At least six states have an abortion-related ballot initiative, the most ever in a single year.

Crime and gun violence

See also: Crime in the United States, Gun violence in the United States, and List of mass shootings in the United States in 2022

Mass shootings made gun violence and crime more important issues for voters. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed in June 2022, provided extended gun-safety laws and was touted by Biden and Democrats. Despite this, Republicans maintained a lead among voters who cite crime as a major issue. Republicans blamed the increase in violent crime and homicides in 2020 and 2021 on progressives and liberals and attempts to "defund the police", a slogan supported by racial justice protesters but eventually rejected by Biden. Democrats pushed for stricter gun laws, including a ban on assault weapons, while Republicans sought to protect legal access to guns and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Democracy

See also: Democratic backsliding in the United States

Democrats said that Trumpist supporters have grown increasingly authoritarian or "semi-fascist" as Biden had called them, since Trump continues to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election. Democrats also said that Republicans regaining power would harm U.S. governance, citing the many Republican candidates who denied the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The Democratic Party filed lawsuits to remove Green Party candidates from the ballot, most notably the North Carolina Green Party candidate Matthew Hoh in the 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina, citing an ongoing investigation into the party for fraudulant signatures. Their warning that the Greens could divide progressive voters and give Republicans wins in tight races nonetheless received widespread criticism, and Hoh appeared on the ballott.

Education

See also: Litter boxes in schools hoax

Republicans argued for parents having more control over what their children are taught in schools, being concerned in particular with race, gender identity, and sexuality being discussed. Democrats dismissed these concerns as a push for censorship, saying that it will harm LGBT students in particular. At least 20 Republican candidates promulgated the litter boxes in schools hoax, which emerged largely as backlash against recognition of gender variance in schools.

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy vowed to "recover lost learning from school closures" during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Climate change

See also: Environmental policy of the Joe Biden administration

Progressive Democrats pushed for legislation to combat the negative effects of climate change, including incentives towards the adoption of renewable energy and electric cars.

Immigration

See also: Immigration policy of the Joe Biden administration and Martha's Vineyard migrant crisis

An increase of over 385% in border encounters from 2020 to 2022 gave Republicans an edge over Democrats as polling tends to show voters moderately prefer Republicans over Democrats for solving immigration problems. In a political stunt, Florida governor Ron DeSantis had migrants sent to Martha's Vineyard.

Student loan forgiveness

See also: Student loans in the United States

Since Biden revealed a plan for student loan forgiveness, both parties sought electoral gains from the decision, with Republicans targeting blue-collar workers and Democrats potentially attracting young voters. A majority of voters were found to support student loan forgiveness in the run-up to the election.

Presidency of Joe Biden

See also: 2022 opinion polling on the Joe Biden administration and Opinion polling on the Joe Biden administration

Republicans were benefiting from Biden's low U.S. presidential approval ratings, hovering from 30–40% for much of the year. His ratings briefly increased after several legislative victories in August and September 2022; by October, they again plateaued when voters focused back on the state of the economy.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the major foreign policy issue, shifting support for Biden and highlighting the Republican Party's perceived support for Russia. One day before election day, Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was in the center of accusations of hidden propaganda activities by the Russian government, in regard to Russian interference in U.S. elections, wrote on Vkontakte: "We have interfered, we are interfering and we will continue to interfere."

Campaign spending

With a total of almost 17 billion U.S. dollars in expenditure, the election campaigns for the 2022 midterm elections were the most expensive in the history of the United States.

Federal elections

Senate elections

Control of Senate seats by class after the 2022 elections

Class	Democratic	Independent	Republican	TBD	Next elections
1	21	2	10	0	2024
2	13	0	20	0	2026
3	11	0	19	3	2028
Total	44	2	49	3	—

Main article: 2022 United States Senate elections

Voters at a polling location in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The 2022 United States Senate election in New Hampshire was tightly contested.

Thirty-five of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate were up for election, including all 34 Class 3 Senator seats. Concurrent with the regularly-scheduled Class 3 elections, a special election was held to fill a Class 2 vacancy in Oklahoma. As senators serve six-year terms, the last regularly scheduled elections for Class 3 senators were held in 2016. The winners of the Senate elections will be sworn in on January 3, 2023, for the 118th U.S. Congress. Going into the election, Democrats and Republicans both held 50 seats, but Democrats had a majority due to their control of the U.S. vice presidency, which has the power to break ties in the Senate. In the Senate elections, Republicans defended 21 seats, including six seats left open by retirements. Democrats defended fourteen seats, one of which was an open seat.

Special elections

Two special elections took place in 2022 to replace senators who resigned during the 117th U.S. Congress:

• California Class 3: Incumbent Kamala Harris was elected as Vice President of the United States and resigned on January 18, 2021, to take office also as the ex officio President of the Senate. Governor Gavin Newsom used his power to appoint the secretary of state of California, Alex Padilla, to succeed her. A special election to fill the remaining weeks of Harris's tenure was held on November 8, 2022, the same day as the regular election for a six-year term, as a writ proclaimed by Newsom. Padilla won both the special election and the regularly-scheduled election.
• Oklahoma Class 2: Incumbent Jim Inhofe announced in February 2022 that he would resign from the Senate at the end of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2023. A special election to fill the remaining four years of his term was held on November 8, 2022, concurrently with the regular election for the Class 3 seat, held by James Lankford. Republican Congressman Markwayne Mullin won the special election to fill the remainder of Inhofe's term.

House of Representatives elections

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections

All 435 voting seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election. Fourty-nine representatives and one non-voting delegate (30 Democrats, 20 Republicans) did not seek re-election, and three seats were vacant at the time of the election. The incumbents in the 2022 elections were determined in the 2020 U.S. House of Representatives elections and subsequent special elections. These elections were the first conducted after the 2020 U.S. redistricting cycle, causing several districts to lack an incumbent or have multiple incumbents. Democrats held a 220–212 majority at the time of the election.

Special elections

Nine special elections were held in 2022:

• Florida's 20th congressional district: Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick defeated Republican Jason Mariner to succeed Democrat Alcee Hastings, who died on April 6, 2021, from pancreatic cancer. The district has a partisan index of D+28.
• California's 22nd congressional district: Republican Connie Conway defeated Democrat Lourin Hubbard in a runoff to succeed Republican Devin Nunes, who resigned on January 1, 2022, to become CEO of the Trump Media & Technology Group. The district has a partisan index of R+6.
• Texas's 34th congressional district: Republican Mayra Flores defeated Democrat Dan Sanchez to succeed Democrat Filemon Vela Jr., who resigned on March 31, 2022, to work for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The district has a partisan index of D+5.
• Nebraska's 1st congressional district: Republican Mike Flood defeated Democrat Patty Pansing Brooks to succeed Republican Jeff Fortenberry, who resigned on March 31, 2022, after he was indicted and arrested for lying to the FBI about campaign contributions. The district has a partisan index of R+11.
• Minnesota's 1st congressional district: Republican Brad Finstad defeated Democrat Jeff Ettinger to succeed Republican Jim Hagedorn, who died on February 17, 2022, from kidney cancer. The district has a partisan index of R+8.
• Alaska's at-large congressional district: Democrat Mary Peltola defeated Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III to succeed Republican Don Young, who died on March 18, 2022. The district has a partisan index of R+9.
• New York's 19th congressional district: Democrat Pat Ryan defeated Republican Marc Molinaro to succeed Democrat Antonio Delgado, who resigned on May 25, 2022, to become Lieutenant Governor of New York. The district has a partisan index of R+3.
• New York's 23rd congressional district: Republican Joe Sempolinski defeated Democrat Max Della Pia to succeed Republican Tom Reed, who resigned on May 10, 2022, amid sexual assault allegations. The district has a partisan index of R+9.
• Indiana's 2nd congressional district: Incumbent Republican Jackie Walorski died on August 3, 2022, in a traffic collision. A special election to fill the remainder of Walorski's term was held concurrently with the regularly-scheduled election for the seat, and Republican candidate Rudy Yakym won both elections to succeed Walorski. The district has a partisan index of R+13.

State elections

Gubernatorial elections

Main article: 2022 United States gubernatorial elections

Elections were held for the governorships of 36 states and three territories. As most governors serve four-year terms, the last regularly-scheduled elections for most seats up for election in 2022 were held in 2018. The governors of New Hampshire and Vermont each serve two-year terms, so incumbents in these two states were determined by the 2020 gubernatorial elections.

Prior to the election, Republicans held a total of 28 seats, 20 of which were up for election in 2022, and Democrats held 22 seats, 16 of which were up for election. Democrats picked up the seats of retiring Republican incumbents in Maryland and Massachusetts, while races in Alaska, Arizona, and Nevada remain uncalled. Democratic incumbents won high-profile contests in Michigan and Wisconsin, while Democrat Josh Shapiro's defeat of Republican Doug Mastriano allowed Democrats to retain control of Pennsylvania's gubernatorial office. Democratic incumbents also prevailed in closely-contested races in Kansas and Oregon. Republican incumbents, meanwhile, won re-election in major races in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. With their respective victories, Tina Kotek of Oregon and Maura Healey of Massachusetts became the first openly lesbian state governors.

Other state executive elections

See also: List of U.S. statewide elected officials

Further information: 2022 United States attorney general elections, 2022 United States secretary of state elections, and 2022 United States treasurer elections

Incumbents' statuses for the 2022 US Attorney General elections

  Republican incumbent

  Democratic incumbent

  Term-limited or retiring Republican

  Term-limited or retiring Democrat

  No election

Various state-wide executive positions across several states held elections in 2022.

Attorneys generals were elected in thirty states, three territories, and one federal district. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2018. The attorney general of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2020.

Secretaries of state were elected in twenty-seven states. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2018. The secretary of state of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2020.

State treasurers and equivalents were elected in twenty-seven states, plus a special election in Utah. The previous elections for this group of states took place in 2018. The treasurer of Vermont serves two-year terms and was last elected in 2020.

State judicial elections

See also: State court (United States)

Numerous states held judicial elections in 2022. Republicans gained a majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court by picking up two seats, raising the possibility of mid-decade redistricting. In another election with major redistricting implications, Republicans retained a majority on the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Legislative elections

Main article: 2022 United States state legislative elections

In 2022, 46 states held regularly-scheduled elections in 88 legislative chambers, although not all seats were up in the legislatures holding elections, as some states use staggered terms. Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia did not hold regularly-scheduled state legislative elections, as those states all hold such elections in odd-numbered years. The District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands also held legislative elections in 2022. As in the U.S. House of Representatives, these elections were the first conducted after the 2020 U.S. census and the 2022 U.S. redistricting. Going into the election, Republicans controlled 61 legislative chambers, as compared to 37 for Democrats.

Democrats successfully defended every legislative chamber they had held prior to the election, the first time the president's party accomplished this feat in a midterm since the 1934 U.S. elections. Democrats picked up both state legislative chambers in Michigan, as well as the Minnesota Senate; Democrats had not controlled the Michigan Senate since 1984. As a result of victories in state legislative and gubernatorial elections, Democrats gained government trifectas in Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota. Though Republican governor Phil Scott won re-election, Democrats gained a veto-proof super-majority in Vermont.

Referendums

Main article: 2022 United States ballot measures

Further information: Labor unions in the United States, Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, and Minimum wage in the United States

See also: 2022 California Proposition 1, 2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment, 2022 Michigan Proposal 3, and 2022 Tennessee Amendment 1

Six states have an abortion‑related ballot measure in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that held there was no constitutional right to abortion in the United States and gave individual states the full power to regulate any aspect of abortion: California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Vermont. During the August primaries, 59% of Kansas voters rejected their state's Value Them Both Amendment, which would have removed the right to an abortion from the Kansas Constitution. California voters considered Proposition 1 during the general election, which amended the Constitution of California to explicitly grant the right to an abortion and contraceptives.

In Nebraska and Nevada, voters approved to increase of the minimum wage, which was in line with most such measures being approved regardless of red and blue state status. In South Dakota, voters approved to expand Medicaid coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act. In Tennessee, voters voted on Amendment 1, which would amend the Constitution of Tennessee to make it illegal for workplaces to require employees to be members of labor unions as a condition for employment.

In five states, voters were asked to make the possession and use of marijuana legal for people 21 and older. In Maryland and Missouri, the measures were approved but voters in North and South Dakota, as well as in Arkansas, rejected legalization. In Colorado, voters approved the decriminalization and regulation of certain psychedelic plants and fungi.

Local elections

Mayoral elections

A number of major U.S. cities have held mayoral elections in 2022:

• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: On February 8, one-term incumbent David Holt won re-election against Frank Urbanic and Carol Hefner.
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin: On April 5, acting mayor Cavalier Johnson won the special election to a full term against Bob Donovan.
• Norman, Oklahoma: On April 5, one-term incumbent Breea Clark lost re-election in a runoff against Larry Heikkila.
• Columbia, Missouri: On April 5, Barbara Buffaloe narrowly defeated Randy Minchew, succeeding two-term incumbent Brian Treece.
• Denton, Texas: On May 7, one-term incumbent Gerard Hudspeth won re-election against Paul Meltzer.
• Newark, New Jersey: On May 10, two-term incumbent Ras Baraka won re-election against Sheila Montague.
• Charlotte, North Carolina: On July 26, two-term incumbent Vi Lyles won re-election against Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao.

Eligible

• Lexington, Kentucky: Incumbent Republican Linda Gorton is running for reelection.
• Fort Smith, Arkansas: Incumbent Democrat George McGill is running for reelection.
• Little Rock, Arkansas: Incumbent Democrat Frank Scott Jr. is running for reelection.
• Raleigh, North Carolina: Incumbent Democrat Mary-Ann Baldwin is running for reelection.
• Reno, Nevada: Incumbent independent Hillary Schieve is running for reelection.
• San Bernardino, California: Incumbent Republican John Valdivia lost re-election in the primary. Helen Tran and Jim Penman advanced to the runoff election.
• Shreveport, Louisiana: Incumbent Democrat Adrian Perkins is running for reelection.
• Tallahassee, Florida: Incumbent Democrat John E. Dailey is running for reelection.
• Washington, D.C.: Incumbent Democrat Muriel Bowser is running for reelection.

Ineligible or retiring

• Anaheim, California: Incumbent Republican Harry Sidhu resigned amid a federal corruption investigation into his office.
• Augusta, Georgia: Incumbent Democrat Hardie Davis is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Austin, Texas: Incumbent Democrat Steve Adler is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Chula Vista, California: Incumbent Democrat Mary Salas is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Henderson, Nevada: Incumbent Democrat Debra March is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Laredo, Texas: Incumbent Democrat Pete Saenz is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Long Beach, California: Incumbent Democrat Robert Garcia is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Los Angeles, California: Incumbent Democrat Eric Garcetti is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Louisville, Kentucky: Incumbent Democrat Greg Fischer is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Lubbock, Texas: Incumbent Republican Dan Pope is retiring.
• Newport News, Virginia: Incumbent independent McKinley L. Price is retiring.
• North Las Vegas, Nevada: Incumbent Republican John Jay Lee is retiring to run for governor of Nevada.
• Oakland, California: Incumbent Democrat Libby Schaaf is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• Providence, Rhode Island: Incumbent Democrat Jorge Elorza is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.
• San Jose, California: Incumbent Democrat Sam Liccardo is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.

County elections

• Cook County, Illinois: Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, Board of Commissioners, Board of Review, Water Reclamation District Board, Circuit Court
• Cuyahoga County, Ohio: Executive, Council
• Hennepin County, Minnesota: Attorney
• Los Angeles County, California: Sheriff, Assessor, Board of Supervisors, Superior Court
• Orange County, California: District Attorney, Board of Supervisors

Tribal elections

Several notable Native American tribes are holding elections for tribal executive positions during 2022, including the Kaw Nation, Cheyenne River Sioux, San Carlos Apache Tribe, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, and Delaware Tribe of Indians. During 2022, Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and Tribal Council Chief Beverly Kiohawiton Cook of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe were both re-elected to third terms. Chairman Marshalle Pierite of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma chief Craig Harper, and Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation tribal chairman Joseph Rupnik were re-elected for a second term. The Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska re-elected Tribal President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson to a fifth term; Lynn "Nay" Valbuena was also elected to serve a fifth term as chair of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Also re-elected were the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma chief Craig Harper and Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community president Martin Harvier, as well as the Quapaw Nation chairman Joseph Byrd. Bill Sterud was re-elected as chair of the Puyallup Tribe; he first joined the Puyallup Tribal Council in 1978.

Reid D. Milanovich was elected chairman of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, replacing the retiring Jeff Grubbe. Clayton Dumont Jr. won an open seat to become chairman of the Klamath Tribes. Arden L. Kucate was elected governor of the Pueblo of Zuni. In the Wabanaki Confederacy, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkmikuk re-elected William Nicholas to a fourth term as chief; chief Kirk Francis was elected to serve a sixth term as head of the Penobscot Nation; and tribal representative Rena Newell was elected chief of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik, ousting Chief Maggie Dana.

Several other tribal leaders were defeated when seeking re-election. Buu Nygren defeated Jonathan Nez to become president of the Navajo Nation; Nygren's running mate, Richelle Montoya, is the first woman elected as Navajo Nation vice president. Lora Ann Chaisson defeated August "Cocoa" Creppel in the election for principal chief of the United Houma Nation. Kasey Velasquez defeated chairwoman Gwendena Lee-Gatwood to become the second woman elected to lead the White Mountain Apache Tribe. RoseMary LaClair defeated incumbent Nooksack Indian Tribe Tribal chairman Roswell Cline Sr. Former Red Lake Band of Chippewa chairman Floyd "Buck" Jourdain defeated incumbent Tribal Chairman Darrell Seki Sr.

Table of state, territorial, and federal results

See also: Political party strength in U.S. states

This table shows the partisan results of president, congressional, gubernatorial, and state legislative races held in each state and territory in 2022. Note that not all states and territories hold gubernatorial, state legislative, and Senate elections in 2022. The five territories and Washington, D.C., do not elect members of the Senate, and the territories do not take part in presidential elections; instead, they each elect one non-voting member of the House. Nebraska's unicameral legislature and the governorship and legislature of American Samoa are elected on a non-partisan basis, and political party affiliation is not listed.

State/Territory	2022 PVI	Before 2022 elections				After 2022 elections
		Governor	State leg.	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Governor	State leg.	U.S. Senate	U.S. House
Alabama	R+15	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–1	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–1
Alaska	R+8	Rep	Split	Rep	Dem 1–0			Rep
Arizona	R+2	Rep	Rep	Dem	Dem 5–4
Arkansas	R+16	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 4–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 4–0
California	D+13	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 42–11	Dem		Dem
Colorado	D+4	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 4–3	Dem	Dem	Dem
Connecticut	D+7	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 5–0	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 5–0
Delaware	D+7	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 1–0	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 1–0
Florida	R+3	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 16–11	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 20–8
Georgia	R+3	Rep	Rep	Dem	Rep 8–6	Rep	Rep		Rep 9–5
Hawaii	D+14	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 2–0	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 2–0
Idaho	R+18	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 2–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 2–0
Illinois	D+7	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 13–5	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 14–3
Indiana	R+11	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 7–2	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 7–2
Iowa	R+6	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 3–1	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 4–0
Kansas	R+10	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 3–1	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 3–1
Kentucky	R+16	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 5–1	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 5–1
Louisiana	R+12	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 5–1	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 5–1
Maine	D+2	Dem	Dem	Split R/I	Dem 2–0	Dem		Split R/I
Maryland	D+14	Rep	Dem	Dem	Dem 7–1	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 7–1
Massachusetts	D+15	Rep	Dem	Dem	Dem 9–0	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 9–0
Michigan	R+1	Dem	Rep	Dem	Split 7–7	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 7–6
Minnesota	D+1	Dem	Split	Dem	Split 4–4	Dem	Dem	Dem	Split 4–4
Mississippi	R+11	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 3–1	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 3–1
Missouri	R+10	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–2	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–2
Montana	R+11	Rep	Rep	Split	Rep 1–0	Rep	Rep	Split	Rep 2–0
Nebraska	R+13	Rep	NP	Rep	Rep 3–0	Rep	NP	Rep	Rep 3–0
Nevada	R+1	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 3–1				Dem 3–1
New Hampshire	D+1	Rep	Rep	Dem	Dem 2–0	Rep		Dem	Dem 2–0
New Jersey	D+6	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 10–2	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 9–3
New Mexico	D+3	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 2–1	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 3–0
New York	D+10	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 19–8	Dem	Dem	Dem
North Carolina	R+3	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 8–5	Dem	Rep	Rep	Split 7–7
North Dakota	R+20	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 1–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 1–0
Ohio	R+6	Rep	Rep	Split	Rep 12–4	Rep	Rep	Split	Rep 10–5
Oklahoma	R+20	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 5–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 5–0
Oregon	D+6	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 4–1	Dem		Dem
Pennsylvania	R+2	Dem	Rep	Split	Split 9–9	Dem	Split	Dem	Dem 9–8
Rhode Island	D+8	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 2–0	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 2–0
South Carolina	R+8	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–1	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–1
South Dakota	R+16	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 1–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 1–0
Tennessee	R+14	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 7–2	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 8–1
Texas	R+5	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 24–12	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 25–13
Utah	R+13	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 4–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 4–0
Vermont	D+16	Rep	Dem	Split D/I	Dem 1–0	Rep	Dem	Split D/I	Dem 1–0
Virginia	D+3	Rep	Split	Dem	Dem 7–4	Rep	Split	Dem	Dem 6–5
Washington	D+8	Dem	Dem	Dem	Dem 7–3	Dem		Dem
West Virginia	R+22	Rep	Rep	Split	Rep 3–0	Rep	Rep	Split	Rep 2–0
Wisconsin	R+2	Dem	Rep	Split	Rep 5–3	Dem	Rep	Rep	Rep 6–2
Wyoming	R+25	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 1–0	Rep	Rep	Rep	Rep 1–0
United States	Even	Rep 28–22	Rep 29–17–3	Dem 50–50	Dem 220–212
Washington, D.C.	D+43	Dem	Dem	—	Dem	Dem	Dem	—	Dem
American Samoa	—	NP/D	NP		Rep	NP/D	NP		Rep
Guam		Dem	Dem		Dem	Dem	Dem		Rep
N. Mariana Islands		Rep	Split		Dem				Dem
Puerto Rico		PNP/D	PDP		PNP/R	PNP/D	PDP		PNP/R
U.S. Virgin Islands		Dem	Dem		Dem	Dem	Dem		Dem
State/Territory	PVI	Governor	State leg.	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Governor	State leg.	U.S. Senate	U.S. House
		Before 2022 elections				After 2022 elections

Election night television viewership

Legend

cable news network

broadcast network

Total television viewers
8:00 to 11:00 PM Eastern

Network	Viewers
Fox News Channel	7,422,000
ABC	3,307,000
MSNBC	3,210,000
NBC	3,107,000
CNN	2,608,000
CBS	2,561,000
Fox Business	629,000
Newsmax	572,000
CNBC	103,000
NewsNation	93,000

Aftermath

Results

The race for Congress has been closer than expected. As of November 10, Republicans are favored to regain control of the House with a narrow majority of 3 seats (214–221) according to Decision Desk HQ, while the Senate remains too close to call. Joe Biden, the incumbent president, described the results as a "strong night" for Democrats, who are set to lose fewer seats than average for the president's party and made gains in the Senate, since the president's party usually lose many seats in the midterm elections; also considering his low approval ratings, it was the best performance for the president's party in a midterm election since the 1950 U.S. elections. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham commented: "It's certainly not a red wave, that's for darn sure. But it is clear that we will take back the House." As of November 10, control of the House has not yet been determined, as several seats remain uncalled. Several tossup races were won by Democrats, including upsets in Colorado's 8th congressional district and North Carolina's 13th congressional district.

As of November 11, control of the Senate remains unclear, as three races remained uncalled, all of which are Democratic-held; races have not yet been called in Arizona and Nevada, and Georgia will hold a runoff election after no candidate won a majority of the vote. Democrats must win two of these three races to maintain control of the Senate. The winner of the Senate race in Alaska has also not been determined but will remain under Republican control, as Republican incumbent Lisa Murkowski and Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka are the two remaining potential victors of the race. In Pennsylvania, Democrat John Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz, gaining control of the seat held by retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey. If incumbents ultimately prevail in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, 2022 would represent the first election since the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in which no Senate incumbents lost re-election.

Six referendums to preserve or expand abortion access uniformly won, including in the states of Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Montana. Those related to increasing the minimum wage (Nebraska and Nevada) and expanding Medicaid coverage (South Dakota) also passed, while those related to cannabis legalization, some of which for medical uses and some for recreational usage, achieved mixed results. In state legislative elections, Democrats gained full control of government in Minnesota and made gains in Pennsylvania. In Michigan, Democrats took full control of government for the first time since 1983. Control of the state legislatures of Alaska, Arizona, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania has not yet been determined.

In the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election, Wes Moore, a Democrat, became the state's first African-American governor, while the 2022 Massachusetts gubernatorial election and 2022 Oregon gubernatorial election resulted in Maura Healey and Tina Kotek, both Democrats, becoming the first open lesbian governors in U.S. history. Gretchen Whitmer, the incumbent Democrat, won the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election. On the Republican side, incumbent governors performed well. Greg Abbott won the 2022 Texas gubernatorial election, while Brian Kemp won the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election; in both cases, they defeated opponents, Beto O'Rourke and Stacey Abrams, who had lost by narrower margins in 2018. In the 2022 Florida gubernatorial election, Ron DeSantis won in a landside; early results showed he performed better than other Republicans among Hispanics. Both parties elected female governors, resulting in the most female governors in U.S. history. Incumbent Laura Kelly of the Democratic Party narrowly won the 2022 Kansas gubernatorial election, while Sarah Huckabee Sanders of the Republican Party won the 2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election to became the state's first female governor.

Analysis

The lack of a predicted wave election in the United States in favor of the Republican Party (concern about the status of the economy and inflation remained the highest issue with large margin over abortion, which placed second according to polls both prior to and after the elections) was attributed to issues that instead favored the Democratic Party, including significant concern over extremism among Republicans and over the democratic backsliding in the United States that worsened since Donald Trump won in 2016, abortion rights and the status of abortion in the United States since June 2022 after Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overtuned the long-held precedent since 1972 of Roe v. Wade that gave a constitutional right to abortion, and the possible imminent announcement of the Trump 2024 election campaign.

The elections reflected trends that approximately started in 2012, in which the white American working-class, and since 2016 also some minorities, in particular those who are working class or Hispanic and Latino Americans, moved even more towards Republicans, while affluent and college-educated whites continued to move towards Democrats. Democrats performed better than expected in states like New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and performed well in Colorado and New England, while Republicans made gains in Florida and New York. Redistricting and gerrymandering also affected results; in New York, where Democrats suffered major losses, a gerrymander had been rejected by the courts, while gerrymanders in Florida and Tennessee gave Republicans more seats by virtue of the redistricted map being much more Republican-leaning.

Fears of democratic collapse

Democratic backsliding was a concern among voters. Polls show that many voters feared that Trump and Republicans would lead to the collapse of democracy in the United States. Several news outlets tracked the midterm results of 2020 election deniers, including Axios, the BBC, Bloomberg News, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post; there were hundreds of election deniers candidates among Republicans, and according to one analysis 60 percent of Americans had election deniers on the ballot. Many of them ran for governor or secretary of state, both of which are positions overseeing elections and certifying their results; as of November 9, races in Arizona and Nevada remains too close to call. While many won, most of them were incumbent members of Congress who voted to not certify the 2020 presidential election results but avoided comments after the January 6 United States Capitol attack; those who made electoral fraud claims central to their campaign, in particular those who were newcomers, lost. In general, those Republican candidates who were backed by Trump or were 2020 election deniers underperformed.

Potential 2024 DeSantis vs. Trump primary battle

Many analysts believed that the results set up a potential primary contest between DeSantis and Trump for the Republican nomination in 2024. Despite losses, Trump called the results a "great evening", though those close to him reported him "livid" and "furious with everyone" for the losses, in particular the Senate open seat in Pennsylvania. About DeSantis, Trump stated that he was ready to reveal what he described as "bad things" about him, claiming to know him "more than anyone else, perhaps more than [his wife]."

Turnout

Turnout was relatively high by midterm standards. After the blue wave of 2018, it was the second highest since the 1970 U.S. elections. The trend was confirmed by turnout among young voters (18–29), which was the highest after 2018. According to Edison Research National Election Pool, the youth vote for the House was 63–35 in favor of Democrats. Pollster Antonio Arellano commented that young voters were the only age group in which more than 50 percent of voters supported Democrats.

See also

• Party divisions of United States Congresses

External links

• Media related to 2022 elections in the United States at Wikimedia Commons