Mixed Election Result: No Blue or Red Wave – Now What?
The voting is finished and the midterm election is finally over. Democrats will now control the US House of Representatives and Republicans have increased their majority in the US Senate.
While many races are still too close to call, the blue wave Democrats had hoped for failed to materialize. It was more of a blue trickle.
With tallies out west still coming in, Republicans have picked up at least three seats in the Senate and Democrats have added at least 26 seats in the House.
In Florida, Congressman Ron DeSantis narrowly won his race for governor. Most polls initially showed leftist Democrat Andrew Gillum ahead in that race.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for a recount in his race against the state's outgoing Republican governor, Rick Scott.
The Evangelical Vote
Faith and Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed said evangelical voters made the difference in the Sunshine State.
"I think the White House and the RGA and the National Republican Senatorial Committee and certainly Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott are very grateful tonight that the rapture didn't happen before the early voting began because if it had, they would have lost in a landslide," explained Reed. "The evangelicals delivered this vote in a big way."
In Tennessee, the GOP held Bob Corker's open seat, which will be filled by Republican Marsha Blackburn. She beat Phil Bredesen by nine points.
Out west, incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller lost in Nevada, but former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney trounced his opponent in Utah and is now headed to the Senate.
In Texas, voters showed you can't always buy elections. In a squeaker, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) beat back a green wave of out-of-state Democrat money. Challenger Beto O'Rourke raised nearly $70 million.
"This was an election about hope, about the future and the people of Texas rendered a verdict that we want a future with more jobs, and more security, and more freedom," Cruz enthusiastically told supporters.
The Kavanaugh Effect
Some incumbent Democrats who voted against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court were defeated.
In North Dakota, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp lost her re-election bid to Kevin Cramer. Indiana's Sen. Joe Donnelly (D) is out, defeated by Republican Mike Braun. And Josh Hawley beat Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) by 6 percent in Missouri.
Hawley gave credit where credit is due.
"Tonight, the good Lord and the people of Missouri have given us the victory – we won!" he declared.
And there were some firsts in this midterm election. More women than ever before – possibly as many as 100 – will now serve in the House of Representatives. Two Muslims will be among them and that is also another first.
What's Next?
With Democrats now preparing for control of the House, still to be decided is if Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will return to her role as House speaker. Pelosi said Democrats will make their top campaign issue – healthcare – a priority.
"Democrats will lower healthcare costs and prescription drug prices for seniors and families across America," Pelosi vowed.
Democrats have also pledged to launch committee investigations of President Donald Trump and his administration. And they'll possibly begin impeachment proceedings against both the president and Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh.
With a divided Congress ahead, it remains to be seen whether or not the president, Democrats and Republicans will work together, or if Washington will be more contentious and polarized than during President Trump's first two years.
About The Author
Mr. Lane served as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he provided written stories and served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs.
Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced reports from Beirut on the Lebanese civil war. He was reassigned to Washington, D.C., at the start of President Reagan’s second term and served as National Security Correspondent from the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the White House.
Gary left CBN briefly in 1988 to work as Senior Press Secretary for Pat Robertson’s presidential campaign. Afterward, he returned to Washington and served as Washington Bureau Chief for CBN News from 1989-1992.
Gary transferred to CBN headquarters in Virginia Beach in 1996, where he began more extensive international traveling and reporting as a Senior Correspondent.
In addition to his extensive reporting on Christian persecution, Gary is also known for his reporting on the civil war in Sudan. He made 20 trips to the country since 1993 and also testified before Congress about the plight of Burmese refugees.
Gary produced numerous documentaries, including Americans Abandoned for the American Defense Institute, which afforded him the opportunity to become the first American journalist granted access to the Vietnamese Defense and Cultural Film archives. The investigative film about American POWs featured Vietnam War footage never seen before by Americans.
Gary also produced several persecution documentaries, including one about Christians in Egypt for Freedom House—Their Blood Cries Out—and another about attacks in Indonesia for The Voice of the Martyrs—Island Jihad. He also worked as a production consultant and videographer for the VOM video specials Underground Reality Vietnam and Underground Reality Colombia.
Over the years, Gary covered wars in Lebanon, Israel, Nicaragua, Angola, Burma, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Colombia, Libya, and Syria. He won several awards, including one from the National Gulf War Resource Center for his groundbreaking investigative reporting of Gulf War Illness, an affliction affecting veterans of Operation Desert Storm. The Australian Evangelical Press Association gave him an award for his reporting of a church massacre that occurred in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, shortly after 9-11.
Gary left CBN in 2000 to join the Voice of The Martyrs as their News Director, where he directed the mission’s multimedia efforts. Those included the website, monthly newsletter, video productions, publications, press releases, and media interviews.
Gary rejoined CBN in late 2003 as International News Director/Senior Correspondent. He served as executive producer of three weekly international news programs: Christian World News (CWN); Mundo Cristiano, a Spanish version of CWN produced in Costa Rica; and an Arabic language version of CWN, CWN Arabic, which was broadcast throughout North Africa and the Middle East. He also hosted and produced the weekly CBN News Channel program, The Global Lane.
Prior to CBN, Gary worked for various local television stations in Michigan, including one owned by Time Inc. and another by Knight-Ridder. Before that, he worked at local radio stations in Flint and Detroit.
Gary is a 1979 honors graduate of The University of Michigan, Flint, where he served as political editor of The University News, studied pre-law, and received an A.B. in political science and history.
