By Wisley Lau

Take this as the mid-year exam for American politics. Every four years, at the midpoint of a presidency, the United States starts their November with a midterm election. During that event, every seat in the House of Representatives and some seats in the Senate are decided by the people. Voters from either side of the political spectrum turn out to vote for the candidates they want to represent their district and state. The party that holds the presidency will lose both the House and Senate to the opposition party, and those who lose will accept the results.

Psych! This is 2022, and the script has been completely ripped off. 

Through different political issues, the 2022 midterms are proving to be the weirdest and most consequential election in US history.

First of all, the economy in the United States and the Biden administration’s mixed record on managing it has turned off many voters from voting for the Democrats. Due to other factors such as COVID-19, the supply chain crisis, and the war in Ukraine, inflation has jumped 8.5% in the past year, the highest since 1981. That affects the middle class, with many unable to afford their livelihoods due to the rise of cost in food and gas (oil). To hide the effects of inflation, some companies have applied the tactic of “shrinkflation”, lowering the amount of consumer products (by weight or size) while keeping the same price tag. Although inflation and gas prices have slowed down and the inflation reduction act has passed – which can alleviate some problems with the economy – the Republicans have already held inflation as a key issue to argue for their return to power.

Secondly, abortion is on the ballot and it turned the tide on how voters perceive the election. Since the overturning of Roe V. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed the constitutional right for a woman to have an abortion, reproductive rights are no longer protected. The Democrats consequently have seen a big boost in the polls supporting their party. Before the decision, the Democrats had a fairly low chance of keeping both chambers of Congress, but ever since the overturn, Democrats are projected to keep the Senate and their chances of keeping the House have risen; although Republicans are still projected to win it. Moreover, different Republican-controlled states have enforced abortion bans with different levels of severity and Senator Lindsey Graham announcing the prospect of a national abortion ban has motivated more women to register to vote. 

Thirdly, the candidates participating in this election are, to put it mildly, abnormal. With so many races to watch, the candidates this year have either been horrible candidates or created shocking headlines to entertain voters. Dr. Mehmet Oz science experiment kills dogs, John Fetterman capitalizing viral Crudite video, Tim Ryan talking about how Trump took away JD Vance’s (a former never-Trump Republican) dignity in a debate, or murder suspect winning Republican primary are a few tasters to the level of ridiculousness the midterms has suffered. Despite this, by far, the title of worst candidate has to go to Georgia Senate candidate Hershel Walker. Walker is a former American football player that attracted media attention by making ridiculous comments on air pollution and evolution, for example that China’s bad air is replacing US’ good air, or if scientists say man came from apes “why are there still apes?” Among the many scandals he faced, including the one where he had secret children with other women and lied to his campaign about it, the biggest came right after The Daily Beast reported on Walker paying for a woman’s abortion even though in his campaign he supported a full abortion ban with no exceptions. After that, his son Christian, a right-wing influencer, bashed his father for his lies and family neglect while more controversy emerged on Walker’s past. Walker even pulled out his honorary cop badge when his opponent criticized his past during a debate! 

The craziest thing about all of this is that many candidates, rife with scandals, like Oz and Walker, are neck-and-neck with their opponents in polls and have a good chance of winning. 

American democracy is at threat. In this election, nearly 300 GOP nominees for the midterm elections have denied the results of the 2020 election. Plus if Republicans win big in the midterms, they can wield serious power in giving Trump (who is almost definitely going to run as President in the 2024 election) the electoral college votes regardless of the result. 

There are many candidates who have spouted wild conspiracy theories about the last presidential election or support the former president’s false claims, but one of the most prominent election deniers running for office is Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania – a swing state that voted for Biden in 2020. Mastriano was a major player in denying the election results and was a participant in the January 6 Capitol riots. He openly boasted about his powers in deciding the election, in selecting the secretary of state who would be in charge of counting the votes, and deciding the electoral college winner for the state. We have already seen voter restriction laws being enacted across the US after the 2020 election. If these people get into power, be prepared for democracy to be undermined from the inside out.

Those are the main issues that have influenced the 2022 midterm elections, but the can of worms is still not fully open. There are emerging candidates who can pass on the legacy of Trump, Biden’s other accomplishments like marijuana reform or student loan forgiveness, the FBI’s raid of Mar A Lago with its influence on Trump’s decision-making powers, and the endless culture wars like critical race theory or the dangerous great replacement theory. 

But one thing is for sure, this election, regardless of outcome, has to be the weirdest in history.