Election Day 2022: Up close and controversial

Plus: Historic election firsts [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( We don't have a paywall. Because of that, millions of people are able to rely on us for unwavering journalism. Trustworthy news is not as accessible as it used to be – and it’s even more difficult to find for free. How do NPR and NPR stations do what we do without becoming beholden to shareholders or special interest groups? [We ask for your help](. Your financial support keeps journalists in the field, helps us share and amplify the truth, and keeps paywalls at bay. Your investment, no matter the amount, accomplishes quite a lot around here. [Donate today](. November 12, 2022 This week, we looked at Election Day 2022 results -- what we know, what we don't know and what it means. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Up close and controversial Jerry Fallstrom/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Control of the [House]( and [Senate]( is still not yet known and might not be for days. What is clear is that whichever party controls them will have very thin governing majorities. That means we are in for compromise, gridlock, partisan warfare or some combination of all three. If Democrats hold the Senate, they will be able to still get judges confirmed to rebalance the federal judiciary. They could potentially get some items through using the end-around of budget reconciliation, but if Republicans take the House, which still looks likely, none of that legislation will likely get approved. Republicans are in for a reckoning in Congress and with Trumpism. They could delay their leadership elections, and even if the GOP does win control of the House, their governing majority, at this point, looks like it will be very small. That means no room for error and steep demands from the hardest line conservatives in the GOP conference. Stay tuned for that drama. Trump candidates up and down the ballot did poorly in purple states and districts. And yet, lurking is Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Republican, who coasted to reelection and [whom many Republicans are looking to for the future](. Trump, though, will likely be uncowed. In fact, the opposite is probably going to be the case, as he possibly plans a defiant announcement Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago, his opulent Florida home, that he’s, once again, running for president. [Here's where things stand in remaining House and Senate races.]( — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images History makers: The 2022 midterms featured a number of history-making candidates winning races across the U.S. From the first member of Generation Z being elected to Congress, to the first women elected governor of Massachusetts and Arkansas, [here’s a look at some of those historic firsts.]( State government: The federal races for House and Senate are getting a lot of attention, but this year’s midterm elections [also featured important results at the state level.]( Democrats managed to win competitive races for governor and flip key state legislatures, while Republicans won handily in deep-red states. Abortion rights: In every state where voters were asked to weigh in directly on abortion via ballot measures this week, they came down [on the side of abortion rights.]( Buoyed by those victories, abortion rights advocates are now [looking towards other states]( where they can take their case directly to voters. Legal marijuana: Voters in Missouri and Maryland [approved ballot measures to legalize adult-use recreational marijuana]( this week. But similar measures were rejected in Arkansas and both North and South Dakota. Affordable housing: Rents and home prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, and those increases are fueled by a historic housing shortage. Voters in dozens of cities were asked to approve more spending for affordable housing, [and in some places they did so overwhelmingly.]( Student debt relief: A Trump-appointed federal judge [vacated President Biden's student debt relief program, calling it unlawful.]( The appeals process for the ruling could take weeks, leaving borrowers in limbo. — [Brandon Carter]( NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- The Shot: Election Day around the U.S. Kristyna Wentz-Graff/OPB From a joyful ballot-sending dance in Oregon to the ballot verification effort in Connecticut -- as well as watch parties, evening victory speeches and historic firsts in between, NPR member stations captured Election Day moments from coast to coast. [See what Election Day looked like around the country.]( — [Heidi Glenn]( NPR digital editor --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. 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