Democrats were handed a massive victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania as Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman found victory in their respective races for governor and senator in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Josh Shapiro was taking on Republican candidate Doug Mastriano, and the attorney general came out victorious with 56.3% of the votes, according to The Associated Press. For comparison, Mastriano only received a reported 41.9% of the votes. Mastriano and Shapiro were two polar opposite candidates, and this midterm election amplified those differences a thousand-fold. 

Mastriano gained notoriety as a leading voice in claims of voter fraud following President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. The ballot of this year’s midterms also held the future for a woman’s right and access to abortion. Shapiro has strongly stood in support of a woman’s right to choose. 

Looking at a slightly closer race, Fetterman took on Dr. Mehmet Oz for an open seat in the Senate. Fetterman was the winner by a much smaller margin of 51% to Oz’s 46.6%, according to The Associated Press. With the victory, Fetterman will succeed Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who announced his retirement in October of 2020.

In early polls conducted for the race, Fetterman led by a much wider margin. However, following a divisive performance by Fetterman during the televised debate in October, that margin narrowed significantly. Fetterman is still recovering from his stroke in May, but as he told NBC News, “I don’t think it’s going to have an impact, I feel like I’m gonna get better and better every day.” 

Pennsylvania is a massive victory for Democrats, similar to its surprise turn in the 2020 election, a turn that guaranteed a victory for President Biden. However, while Democrats had success in Pennsylvania, the midterm still brought some major upsets as Republicans are still projected to take the majority in the House.

Democrats took some crippling defeats like incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis having a blowout victory in Florida over Democrat Charlie Crist. DeSantis has been eyed as a possible presidential candidate in 2024, and this victory in the Sunshine State could be the jumping off point he needed. 

Not too far from Florida, all eyes continue to stay on Georgia’s races as well. While Republican Brian Kemp had a 53.4% victory over Stacey Abram’s 45.9% for the governorship, the Senate race is far more complicated. Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker are locked in a close battle, with the margin being so tight that a runoff election will be conducted on Dec. 6. In Georgia, a candidate must receive 50% of the vote in order to be declared winner, and neither candidate has achieved that.

However, while House control is likely to fall into the hands of Republicans, Democrats were dealt a strong hand when Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada won a close race and secured control of the Senate for the party. Masto defeated Republican candidate Adam Laxalt by a margin of .07% (48.8% to 48.1%). After the victory, President Biden told CNN, “I think it’s a reflection of the quality of our candidates.” 

While there has been no major outcry from both parties regarding the closer races, no major lawsuits have been filed as of Monday, Nov. 14.

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