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The U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday, November 8 were held during a tumultuous time. The country is in the grips of the highest rates of inflation in four decades, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, with food and fuel prices crushing the working class. The Far Right is on the rise, and so are attacks on trans and queer people. Importantly, these elections are the first to take place after the January 6 uprising on the U.S. Capitol, and the first since the Supreme Court rolled back Roe v. Wade in June.

While many expected a “red wave” to sweep Republicans to power across local, state, and federal races, this did not come to pass, and Tuesday’s results were contradictory. On the one hand, Republicans like Ron DeSantis sailed to victory in places like Florida, the Right is far from defeated. On the other hand, Democrats were able to hold on to critical seats to likely maintain control of the Senate, while Republicans have not yet fully recaptured the House. Trump-backed candidates, like Dr. Oz and Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania, suffered losses, and voters seemed to reject the most socially conservative Republicans. Meanwhile, several progressive ballot measures passed, including cannabis legalization in Republican-controlled Missouri, and Medicaid expansion in solidly red South Dakota.

In this episode of All That’s Left, Left Voice members Tatiana Cozzarelli and Ezra Brain dissect the results of these elections. They discuss how the elections played out for Republicans and Democrats, what this says about the future of the parties, and what it all means for the Biden administration. They also talk about the important tasks that lie ahead for the Left.

Listen to the episode on Spotify on Apple Podcasts.

Support this podcast on Patreon.