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Control of Congress Too Close to Call in Midterms

Inflation future of democracy high on the list of voter concerns

An election official carries a batch of ballots ready for tabulation at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) in Phoenix, Arizona. Jon Cherry/Bloomberg via Getty Images Inflation topped the list of issues that were on the minds of American voters in midterm elections that saw a nation so divided that control of Congress was still up in the air the day after Election Day. With razor-thin margins in races for the U.S. House of Representatives and the outcome of a number of U.S. Senate positions uncertain, it could be days or even weeks before the American people know who will be in charge when the 117th Congress convenes in January and the 100 senators take their seats. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The state of play as of Nov. 9 was that Republicans were elected to 203 House seats and the Democrats took 176 contests, according to data reported by The Associated Press. It takes 218 votes to control a majority of House seats. Control of the U.S. Senate was also undecided with the chamber at a dead heat: Democrats and Republicans both holding 48 seats. Currently, the Senate is 50-50 but in Democratic hands because Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris can cast any tiebreaking vote. Still uncalled are the races in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. However, whoever wins the Alaska Senate contest will be a Republican since two Republicans lead in the race for that seat. The second senator from Georgia could well remain unknown until next month. Incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock led GOP challenger Herschel Walker 49.4 percent to 48.5, but under Georgia law, a candidate must get 50 percent plus one to be elected. If neither candidate reaches that threshold once all the votes are tabulated, the Georgia race will be decided in a runoff Dec. 6.

Economy was top of mind for many voters

Inflation was far and away top of mind for 2022 voters. About half said inflation was key in their decision-making, and the economy overall was an overarching concern with about 8 of 10 voters saying it was in bad shape, according to polling by AP VoteCast. The concern over inflation had been evident in national surveys throughout the election season, including . But those surveys also showed that protecting Social Security and Medicare, as well as lowering the cost of prescription drugs, continue to be very important to America’s older electorate. . Ballots cast by voters 50-plus represented 59 percent of all votes, with 31 percent from voters ages 50-64 and 28 percent from voters age 65 and older. Preliminary turnout data shows that the high turnout that has been evident in the past few elections is continuing. According to the U.S. Elections Project, as of Nov. 8, 116 million Americans had voted in this year’s midterms compared with 114 million who voted in the last midterm election in 2018. Echelon Insights predicts that when all tallies are completed, more than 125 million Americans will have cast their ballots this year, a record-breaking turnout for a midterm. What the new shape of the national government will mean for issues vital to the 50-plus population is not clear. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > “On the federal level, it’s likely going to be divided government one way or the other,” says John Hishta, AARP senior vice president for campaigns. “It seems that there were a lot of conflicted voters out there who in their minds had difficult choices to make.” Hishta said that regardless of who controls the chambers of Congress, AARP will continue to fight for the issues most important to the 50-plus population: “At the end of the day, older voters expect that programs like Social Security and Medicare are going to be protected and saved for the future.” Dena Bunis covers Medicare, health care, health policy and Congress. She also writes the Medicare Made Easy column for the AARP Bulletin. An award-winning journalist, Bunis spent decades working for metropolitan daily newspapers, including as Washington bureau chief for The Orange County Register and as a health policy and workplace writer for Newsday. MORE FROM AARP LEARN MORE ABOUT AARP MEMBERSHIP. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS