Red wave? What red wave?
This is not a red wave a red tsunami. Honestly it’s one of the best midterms for an incumbent President ever. Does that mean we have to continue, obvi AND it’s because of the hard work of ORGANIZERS and progressive orgs that did this. Period dot.
— Nelini Stamp
(@NelStamp) November 9, 2022
If it wasn’t for Gen-Z, there would have been a red wave.
The polling shows that OUR generation voted for Democrats more than any other age group. WE are the reason Democracy will stand.
We now have a seat at the table. Time to start listening.
— Olivia Julianna
(@0liviajulianna) November 9, 2022
Gen Z voted like a generation that has done active shooter drills since elementary school told that they aren’t allowed to read books by anyone who isn’t straight and white. In doing so, they saved the election.
— Frederick Joseph is on Mastodon (@FredTJoseph) November 9, 2022
Gen Z for the win
Missouri legalized weed, Nebraska passed $15 minimum wage, Montana and Kentucky rejected abortion bans, and Kansas re-elected their Democratic governor. Maybe it's time to move past writing off entire states and see that people will support progress if we organize and fight.
— Read Jackson Rising by @CooperationJXN (@JoshuaPHilll) November 9, 2022
I want to thank the young people of this nation who voted in historic numbers, just as they did two years ago.
They voted to continue addressing the climate crisis, gun violence, their personal rights and freedoms, and student debt relief.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 10, 2022
Underlining the need for the Democrats to deliver on their promises to take action on the issues that impact young people’s lives, Julianna shared:
The narrative is not : Young people showed up because they love Joe Biden.
The narrative is: Young people showed up because our President and congress finally invested into our lives, and we finally felt seen & heard.
You want these same results keep doing it!
— Olivia Julianna
Minoritised candidates win in the US midterms
Likely due to the high turnout of young, progressive voters, the US midterms saw a number of successful progressive candidates who belong to marginalised and oppressed groups.
For example, the state of Florida voted in 25-year-old activist and politician Maxwell Alejandro Frost, making him the first Gen Z and the first Afro-Cuban candidate elected to Congress. Frost is the former national organising director for March for Our Lives, a nationwide movement for gun control. Celebrating his election win, Frost tweeted:
I am Congressman-Elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost and I will be the first member of Generation-Z in the United States Congress.
WE MADE HISTORY!!! Don’t count young people out. pic.twitter.com/Nd3vr5iPT0
— Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) November 9, 2022
Meanwhile, Mauree Turner, who became the first non-binary person elected to a state legislature in the US in 2020, will return for another term. Celebrating this win, activist and queer legislative researcher Erin Reed shared:
Non-binary legislator wins their house district in Oklahoma!
This election has been a near sweep for trans and non-binary candidates! https://t.co/1Xe57Gt4wY
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) November 9, 2022
Celebrating Sonya Emerick’s election to the Minneapolis school board, Reed added:
Sonya Emerick, a trans, queer, disabled candidate, wins a Minneapolis at-large school board seat. All over the country, LGBTQ+ candidates are being elected and voters are resoundingly rejecting anti-trans policies. pic.twitter.com/FmNTUhhRXM
— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) November 9, 2022
The midterms also saw a record number of Muslim candidates elected into Congress. Executive director of Muslim civil rights organisation CAIR Washington Imraan Siddiqi tweeted:
Lots of Muslims winning in their respective states tonight.
pic.twitter.com/XhsMaiLYEL
— Imraan Siddiqi (@imraansiddiqi) November 9, 2022
Brighter days ahead?
As is always the case with US politics, the 2022 midterm election wasn’t all roses. For example, Black Democrat and impactful voter rights campaigner Stacy Abrams conceded to Republican governor Brian Kemp in Georgia. Other Black Democrats such as hopeful US Senate candidates Cheri Beasley and Val Demmings also lost out.
Meanwhile, the state of Louisiana voted to maintain the legal loophole in the 13th amendment of the US constitution, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude “except as a punishment for crime” in 1865. Devastated by this outcome, academic Jenn Jackson shared:
The fact that slavery was on the ballot in five states and actually won in one (Louisiana) and was too early to call in another (Oregon) should dismantle every claim about the inherent goodness of our democracy in the US.
It's slavery. On the ballot.
— dr. jenn m. Jackson (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) November 9, 2022
However, the results of the 2022 midterms could mark the beginning of widespread progressive change in US politics.
Featured image via Element5 Digital – Unsplash
