The Red Wave that never came
ZWF #40: Sunday, November 13, 2022
Election Day was on Tuesday and there are still many unknowns days later. However, one thing we do know is that the talk of a Republican red wave was greatly exaggerated.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, an update on the 2022 Midterm Elections, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top news and sports headlines from the past seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 81 features Zander’s fact-filled preview of the 2022 Midterm Elections! Zander’s got all the facts you need on what the most competitive races are, what the polls and forecasts are saying, and what the top issues voters are thinking about are this year. Go download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Zander’s Weekend Facts is here to give you the facts about what has been going on in the world around us this past week. You’ll just have to read these facts, instead of listening to them on the Zander’s Facts podcast.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, November 13, 2022:
Democrats outperform Midterm expectations
Just one week ago, the outlook was bleak for the Democratic Party.
The party with an unpopular President and slim majorities in Congress was bracing for a reckoning. Polling averages and forecasts showed the Democrats likely would lose their congressional majorities. Mainly, due to voters’ distaste for Democrats’ handling of the post-pandemic economy, marked by high inflation rates and gas prices.
In the weeks leading up to the election, right-wing media began to target crime as a weak spot for Democrats, and worries grew among the party that voters had grown apathetic to the overturning of Roe v. Wade back in the summer.
As it turns out, those worries didn’t materialize into a classic midterm beatdown.
It was projected on Saturday night that Democrats would retain control of the U.S. Senate. That came after incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) was projected to defeat Republican challenger Adam Laxalt in a close race in Nevada to push Democrats to 50 projected seats. Democrats were also able to win tight elections in Arizona and New Hampshire while flipping a seat in Pennsylvania. All seats that Republicans hoped to win, went to the Democrats.
The only Senate race still not certain is the seat in Georgia currently held by Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is facing Republican Herschel Walker. Because of Georgia’s election laws, since neither candidate achieved 50% of the vote, they will go to a runoff on December 6. Even with this race not decided, it will not decide control of the Senate.
Democrats held their majority in the Senate, despite many forecasts anticipating that would not happen. FiveThirtyEight gave Republicans a 54% to gain the majority, The Economist gave Republicans a 57% chance, and RealClearPolitics projected the Republicans would pick up four Senate seats. Holding a Senate majority in a midterm is not uncommon, it has happened in three of the four previous midterm elections this century, but the Republicans were clearly thought to have had the momentum heading into last week.
It could have been possible in a red wave, but this was not a red wave election.
Then on to the other congressional chamber, the U.S. House of Representatives, where things looked much worse for Democrats. FiveThirtyEight put Democrats’ chances of keeping control of the chamber at just 16%, while The Economist gave Democrats a 23% chance.
Those predictions may become reality, as control of the House is still undecided as of Sunday morning. However, it was not expected for Democrats to come this close to retaining control of the lower chamber.
As of Sunday morning, it was projected that Republicans had won 211 House seats, compared to 204 seats for the Democrats. NBC News projects that Republicans will win 219 seats, one above the 218 needed for control, compared to the Democrats’ 216.
The talk of winning 10, 20, 30, 40, heck even 50 seats just one week ago has faded into a distant memory.
Now there are still 20 House races that are left to be decided, and Democrats need to win 14 of those to take the House, including in races where they are currently trailing. It’s an uphill climb, and the Republicans are still favored to take the chamber. But a single-digit majority, potentially one, two, three, or four seats, is a lot different than having a large cushion.
It’s also precisely what the Democrats could be hoping for. (But if you want that take, you’ll have to listen to this coming week’s edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast :) )
But the fact is, Democrats just had the best midterm performance of any party since 2002, and the best for Democrats since 1998.
Despite the current economic woes affecting the globe (not just the country) and post-pandemic concerns, voters decided to reject the Republican Party on the issues of abortion and maintaining a functioning democracy. Most notably, young voters (Gen Z) who voted for the Democrats by a 28-point margin.
Need just one takeaway from this election? The 2022 Midterm Elections served as a searing indictment of the modern-day Republican Party, and there was nobody that had a worse election than Donald Trump.
For more coverage of the Midterm Elections, check out these factual sources:
The New York Times - Live Election Results: Top Races to Watch
And check out Episode 82 of the Zander’s Facts podcast, out this Wednesday!
What Zander’s been reading this week
Cold and flu season has returned with a vengeance this year, so make sure to get your flu shot. Although less known than the flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), a notable cold virus, is another major concern. For decades, scientists have been unable to develop a dependable RSV vaccine, until maybe now.
Check out this week’s featured article on Vox - The end of cold season as we know it? (Link to article on Apple News)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top sports headlines from the past week in the Sporting Club:
The 2022-2023 College Basketball season began this week on Monday. Among the notable matchups to begin the season, #2 Gonzaga and Michigan State faced off outdoors on Friday aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, with Gonzaga taking a close 64-63 victory. On Tuesday, the Champions Classic event begins nearly a month of preseason tournaments, with #4 Kentucky facing Michigan State, and #7 Duke facing reigning National Champion #5 Kansas.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 is now just seven days away, with this weekend hosting the final club soccer matches before the tournament. This World Cup will be the first held outside of the summer, because of the tournament’s location in Qatar. The tournament is also marred by several controversies, including the treatment of migrant workers who built many of the stadiums the games will be played in, and Qatar’s laws regarding the LGBTQ+ community. A full World Cup preview, including a look at the games and the controversies surrounding the tournament, will be available on this coming week’s edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast.
The NFL will host its first game in Germany this morning, but it certainly doesn’t look like it will be the last. This week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell commented that the league is planning to hold at least one game in Germany in each of the next four seasons, with the potential for additional expansion of games beyond that. At 9:30 am et this morning on NFL Network, the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off in their first NFL game in Germany at Allianz Arena in Munich.
Week 10 in the NFL begins with the aforementioned matchup in Germany this morning. In the early afternoon, the 7-1 Vikings face the 6-2 Bills, the Jaguars head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, and the Browns visit South Florida and the Dolphins. At 4:00 pm et, the Cowboys head to Lambeau to take on the Packers, and the Cardinals visit the defending champion Rams. On Sunday night, it’s an all-California battle between the Chargers and 49ers, while the Commanders face the undefeated Eagles in an NFC East showdown on Monday night. Thursday night featured an NFC South matchup with the Panthers coming away with a 25-15 win over the Panthers.
Week 11 in College Football was one where the road teams shined. Beginning in the SEC, #9 Alabama was able to get back to their winning ways with a 30-24 road win over #11 Ole Miss, #7 LSU overcame Arkansas 13-10, #1 Georgia passed by Mississippi State 45-19, and Vanderbilt got their first conference win since 2019 with a 27-24 win over #24 Kentucky. In the ACC, #23 Florida State smacked Syracuse 38-3, Boston College knocked off #16 NC State 21-20, and #15 North Carolina survived a road test against Wake Forest 36-34. Then in the Big 12, #4 TCU got a massive win over #18 Texas 17-10, while #19 Kansas State whipped Baylor 31-3, and Big Ten squad Purdue beat #21 Illinois 31-24. Finally, in the Pac-12, #25 Washington hung on for a crucial 37-34 win at #8 Oregon, and Arizona knocked off #12 UCLA at the Rose Bowl 34-28.
Rapid-fire Facts
Here are the top news stories from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
President Joe Biden traveled to Egypt and Southeast Asia this week. In Egypt, Biden spoke at the COP27 climate conference as world leaders debate new policies in an effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Despite claims that countries and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, recent studies have found this not to be the case. Additionally, Biden traveled to Cambodia to participate in this year’s ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit. On Monday, Biden will attend the G20 summit in Indonesia, where he will hold a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Former President Donald Trump has sued the House January 6 Committee. Trump claims in a lawsuit that a subpoena sent by the committee is “invalid, unlawful, and unenforceable because President Trump, as a former president of the United States, has absolute immunity from being compelled to testify.” The committee voted to subpoena Trump in their final meeting last month, seeking his testimony and documents surrounding the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine has filed a lawsuit against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder. The lawsuit’s defendants also include the Commanders organization, the National Football League, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The lawsuit claims that the parties attempted to mislead customers (fans) about the investigation into the organization’s workplace misconduct claims in order to maintain its streams of revenue.
Hurricane Nicole became the second hurricane to make landfall in Florida this year. Nicole made landfall early Thursday morning as a Category 1, much weaker than Category 4 Ian, but still caused damage along the Atlantic coast. At least two people were killed and several homes on the water either collapsed or washed away. After leaving Florida as a post-tropical system, Nicole made its way up the east coast, bringing heavy rains and a tornado threat to the Mid-Atlantic on Friday.
Cryptocurrency exchange FTX has filed for bankruptcy. Once one of the top cryptocurrency companies, the company is one of just several that are reeling as the crypto market has suffered in recent months. This week’s news has caused many to sever ties with the company, including with GameStop and the Miami Heat as their arena’s sponsor. Additionally, CEO Sam Bankman-Fried stepped down from the position.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on everything Zander’s Facts related, including the all-new Zander’s Facts website. At ZandersFacts.com, get the latest on all the facts that Zander is putting out, and check out the freshest styles at the Zander’s Facts shop!
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment. That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, a recap of the midterm elections, and a World Cup preview, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, November 20, 2022.
