A Divided Congress: 2023 Takeaways

Last November’s midterm election results were far different from what most political analysts, pollsters, and armchair prognosticators expected in the days and weeks leading up to the election. In advance of the election, a deep history of the incumbent president’s party losing ground in midterms, low favorability numbers for President Biden, the threat of recession, skyrocketing costs for everything from gas to housing, and a myriad of other factors all indicated the likelihood of a “red wave,” with Republicans taking a slim majority in the U.S. Senate and a 20-plus seat majority in House of Representatives.

Instead, Democrats retained control of the Senate and Republicans flipped the House with the slimmest of majorities, giving us a divided Congress. And while the often-predicted Republican takeover was pushed back in large part due to social issues and underperforming candidates, an electorate worn out by a pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine, supply chain challenges, political rancor, and so much more —voters also made a choice to, in large part, stay the course. In doing so, they made the decision to forego any more massive change or upheaval in favor of a divided government with slim majorities that by its composition is compelled to act reasonably, responsibly, and carefully.