Where Does The GOP Go From Here?

• House Race
  • 12 seats flipped in total
    • 10 Republican, 3 for Democrat
    • Looks like more will come, in particular
      • California, New York and possibly Iowa
• Senate Race
  • 3 seats flipped in total
    • 2 Democrat, 1 Republican
      • The majority hangs with Georgia
• Presidential Race 
  • 7 flipped states/districts
    • 5 states Democrats
      • Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona
    • 2 flipped districts
      • 1 Republican in Maine
      • 1 Democrat in Nebraska
• Governor Races
  • 11 elections, 1 flipped seat
    • Montana went Republican
    • Easy Republican win in New Hampshire
  • 27 Republican governors, 23 Democrat

It’s relatively easy to see where Trump and the Republican Party go from here; they go and campaign in Georgia. Probably one of the more shocking Biden victories in the presidential election, Georgia has proved to be a swing state with its democratic party rallied behind former democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. The Senate’s majority hangs in the balance, with Republicans having 50 and Democrats having 48 at the moment. Two more Senate races will be held in Georgia on Jan. 5. The Republicans, of course, will be looking to win the Senate and keep some sort of legislative check on Joe Biden’s agenda. 

However, even if the Republicans manage to win these Senate races in Georgia, what will that prove to us and will that be the best thing for the Republican Party? In my opinion, it will prove that Donald Trump lost the state of Georgia, not the Republican Party. If this happens it would appear that the state is not, in fact, becoming a state Democrats or Republicans can start to rely on. Although, if the Democrats manage to win the presidential race and both Senate races in Georgia, it starts to look pretty good for Democrats there in the future as Atlanta continues to grow and become a Democratic stronghold. 

If the Democrats win both Senate seats in Georgia, it may actually be better for the Republicans in the 2022 election. As history has shown us, the opposite party of the president tends to do better in the midterm elections than their own party. If swing voters and Republicans start to see what a completely Democratic federal government enacts, it may unite Republicans against Democrats or have more moderates come to the Republican party. Of course, that would only happen if the Democratic agenda is as bad as Republicans claim. Joe Biden, a self-proclaimed moderate, has also said that he “will go down as the most progressive president in American history.” Now, that could help Democrats or divide them. 

Many moderate leaning Democrats don’t support the new faces of the party, like Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. We could see a division between the socialist faction of the Democratic Party and the moderate Democratic Party, which would help Republicans; however, a harsh division that would split the party would be extremely unlikely. The Democrats could take the advice of Representative Spanberger and “don’t say socialism ever again.” She continued to say, “if we run this race again, we will get ******** torn apart in 2022.” I think her concern is absolutely correct, Americans as a whole don’t want a socialist agenda, it’s what we have been fighting against our entire existence: less government control over our daily lives. Americans fear the word itself, and yet it seems like Democrats continue to put people like Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez on a pedestal for the world to hear. If this continues, they will get torn apart in 2022, but if the Democrats silence the socialist agenda of members of their own party, it could be beneficial to their midterm success. 

In any way, it all comes down to the Senate races in Georgia. I believe that whichever party wins those races will have big trouble ahead of them in the 2022 midterms. Only time will tell, as we await the deciding votes to determine the direction of our nation and majority in federal government.