The 2022 midterm elections officially took place on Nov. 8, and they brought about a myriad of results that are both worrisome and hopeful. In North Carolina, the Republican party swept the Senate race, which was the highlighted position of this year's midterm. However, the goal of stripping Governor Roy Cooper of his veto power with a North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) supermajority did not go as planned.
Ted Budd sealed his victory with 50.7% in the polls, which is a total of 1,891,363 votes. Cheri Beasley trailed behind at 47.1% with a total of 1,755,743 votes. The rural districts brought the most votes for Budd; however, his success in the polls could be attributed to him pointing to Beasley’s rulings during the role of Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.
There were numerous ads on multiple platforms painting Beasley as being soft on crime, which is what is stated as being a strong contributor to the election results. The two NC Supreme Court were won by Republican candidates Trey Allen and Richard Dietz. This is important because they now determine the fate of the NCGA’s agenda on issues such as guns, abortion and other important cases.
Democrats, however, were successful in the competitive seats of the state legislature, which kept the Republican party from gaining a supermajority. In the Senate District 17, Democrat Sen. Sydney Batch won, and in Senate District 18, Democrat Mary Wills Bode defeated the Republican candidate for an open seat. In House District 35, Democratic Rep. Terence Everitt beat Republican Fred Von Canon. One of the biggest victories of the election was when Democrat Wiley Nicklee defeated Bo Hines in NC’s 13th Congressional District.
In the results of local county sheriff races, the Democratic sheriff candidates beat their challengers. Democrat Willie Rowe won the Wake County Sheriff race. There were concerns about morale in the sheriff's department needing to be restored after the scrutiny faced with respect to the previous sheriff, Republican Gerald Baker, as well as filling open positions. In Durham, Sheriff Clarence Birkhead won re-election.
Expanding beyond the lens of the state of North Carolina, there were multiple important federal results from the federal midterm elections that will also impact future trends in the United States. There were concerns over the fate of the control of Congress after the elections. Still, the Democratic Party pushed back, defeating Republicans in numerous important races. There were multiple successes for Democrats in winning governor races, specifically in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
These results went against predictions regarding Joe Biden’s low approval rate and how it would negatively impact the party in midterm elections. One of the highlights of the midterms was when John Fetterman flipped a Republican-controlled U.S. Senate seat, which greatly aided in Democrats maintaining control of the Senate. The importance of the House and Senate races is that they determine the future of Biden’s presidential agenda. Despite maintaining Senate control, Democrats lost their House majority on Nov. 16.
For more NC election results go to Axios Raleigh and for more federal election results and their impacts on future trends go to AP News.
By Danika Ray, Contributing Writer
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