Was it a blue wave after all?  With each passing day, the answer seems to be yes. While early results suggested that Democrats had done well, but not delivered a body blow, now that all the votes have been counted, the election results can be considered a blue wave at the very least.  At this point, Republicans have lost 39 seats in the House, and likely 40 when a final race will be called. Though 40 seats wouldn’t be historically bad — Barack Obama lost 63 seats in 2010 — it is nonetheless significant. Here are a few numbers that tell the tale of the election.

49.3

The percentage of eligible voters, nationwide, who voted in the midterms. That number, according to the United States Elections Project, is the highest in a midterm election since 1914, when 50.4% voted. In absolute numbers, 116 million people voted, compared to just 83 million in 2014.

31

According to an analysis out of Tufts University, 31% of voters aged 18 to 29 voted, the highest number in 25 years. That’s significant, because a majority of young voters are Democrats. Four million more young people voted in these midterms compared to 2016, a significant factor in the Democrats’ electoral victory.

64.3

That’s the percentage of people who voted in Minnesota, which led the nation. The Land of 10,000 Lakes was followed by Colorado at 62.7%, Montana with 62.1%, Oregon with 61.5%, and Wisconsin with 61.2%. These are impressive figures even when compared to presidential elections. In 2012, 58.6% of the electorate voted, while in 2016, 60.1% voted.

12

CNN reports that Democrats had a 12% advantage among those who define themselves as independents. Why is that significant? Because in an election in which 95% of Democrats and 94% of Republicans voted party line, independents can swing a race. The fight for the independents may shape the 2020 presidential election.

80

A USA Today analysis showed that in 2018 Democrats won 80 new suburban areas over what they won in 2016. The question is whether this is a new reality — in which case Democrats will try to flip red states like Georgia and Texas into battlegrounds — or if this is their ceiling.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 737)