US midterm elections: Who won, who lost and what it means

The particulate has not yet settled successful the 2022 midterm elections, but it's not excessively aboriginal to gully immoderate conclusions astir the proceedings truthful far. It has been, arsenic predicted, a bully nighttime for Republicans - though however bully remains to beryllium seen. But it's wide astatine this constituent that there's already 1 large winner.

Four years ago, Ron DeSantis won the governorship of Florida by a fraction of a percent implicit Democrat Andrew Gillum. After 4 years of his blimpish leadership, wherever helium leaned into hot-button taste issues similar transgender rights and "critical contention theory", railed against coronavirus pandemic restrictions, and became a fixture connected blimpish quality outlets, helium has won re-election successful a walk.

How helium did it is peculiarly remarkable.

In 2018, helium mislaid the Democratic stronghold of Miami-Dade region by 20%. This year, helium is connected way to beryllium the archetypal Republican politician campaigner to triumph successful the majority-Hispanic country since Jeb Bush successful 2002. He whitethorn adjacent bash truthful by a double-digit percentage.

Mr DeSantis's determination to overrule his authorities legislature and redraw the state's legislature territory lines to heavy favour Republican candidates has besides paid nationalist dividends. It has netted his enactment astatine slightest 2 of the 5 seats they request to triumph power of the House of Representatives.

These successes volition spell a agelong mode toward providing the Florida politician with a springboard from which to motorboat a statesmanlike campaign, if helium truthful chooses.

As if to emphasise this, the assemblage astatine Mr DeSantis's triumph rally connected Tuesday nighttime chanted "two much years" - a tacit acknowledgement that if their antheral decided to tally for president he'd person to resign arsenic politician halfway done his four-year term.

Of course, if Mr DeSantis wants to triumph the Republican statesmanlike information successful 2024, helium whitethorn person to spell done his state's astir salient Republican nonmigratory - erstwhile President Donald Trump - to bash so.

This is simply a processing communicative with much to come.