Here at GE, we're all about going beyond the surface and taking a different tack on elections results. Yes, the midterm mayhem got people all over the globe hot and bothered, even though just over half of registered voters in the land of the free took part. Funny, many of the states that had less than 40% turnout are places that bang on about freedom (China is beaming over the turnout in good Ol' Mississippi). Here's a suggestion to earthlings outside the US: don't stress over America Votes, as you can see from the map (click on for a larger view), Americans are not fans of democracy.
Listeners of the GE podcast will know about the key ballot measures that took place, you're welcome to lend your ears at anytime if you need to doze off to proposition mayhem.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-global-editorial-100285719/
Now, for the historic takeaways from the madness. Warning: this might cause a ruckus in countries that Americans have never heard of, in other words, every country outside the US.
Alabama (AL) - Katie Britt, first elected female Senator from AL.
Arkansas (AR) - Sarah Sanders, first woman elected Governor of AR. Leslie Rutledge, first woman elected Lieutenant Governor of AR.
California (CA) - Alex Padilla, first elected Latino Senator from CA. Shirley Weber, first elected black Secretary of State of CA. Rob Bonta, first elected Filipino-American Attorney General of CA. Robert Garcia (emigrated from Peru), first out LGBTQ immigrant elected to Congress from CA.
Colorado (CO) - Yadira Caraveo, first Latina elected to Congress from CO.
Connecticut (CT) - Stephanie Thomas, first black woman elected Secretary of State of CT.
Florida (FL) - Maxwell Frost (DOB: Jan 17, 1997), first Generation Z elected to Congress.
Illinois (IL) - Della Ramirez (Chicago's own), first Latina elected to Congress from IL. Eric Sorensen, first out gay person elected to Congress from IL.
Maryland (MD) - Wes Moore, first black Governor of MD Aruna Miller, first Asian-American Lieutenant Governor of MD. Anthony Brown, first black Attorney General of MD.
Massachusetts (MA) - Maura Healey, first out lesbian Governor in US history. Andrea Campbell, first black woman elected Attorney General in MA.
Michigan (MI) - John James, first black Republican elected to Congress from MI. Shri Thanedar, first Indian-American elected to Congress from MI.
New York (NY) - Kathy Hochul, first elected female Governor in NY history. George Santos, won the first House election between two out gay candidates.
Oklahoma (OK) - Markwayne Mullin, first Native American Senator from OK in nearly 100 years.
Pennsylvania (PA) - Austin Davis, first black Lieutenant Governor of PA. Summer Lee, first black woman elected to Congress from PA.
Vermont (VT) - Becca Balint, first woman and first out LGBTQ person elected to Congress from VT.
Note: AR and MA are the first states to have women serving concurrently as Governor and Lieutenant Governor. Bizarre stat, as these two states have nothing in common. MA consistently ranks as one of the best states in the union, AR the worst (they don't believe that healthcare is a right).
There you have it, you have no excuses to fail that best-selling board game: New faces coming to DC in 2022. Less than two years before America votes again on Nov 5, 2024, and there's a distinct possibility that we'll see a sleepy oldie born Nov 20, 1942 take on a xenophobe (you know, a racist that's the product of immigrants) born Sep 14, 1978. Let the hullabaloo begin, and to anyone not living in the US, please recommence losing sleep over a nation that doesn't give two hoots about your livelihood.
