The 2018 Midterm Elections were held on Tuesday, Nov. 6, throughout the United States with record high voter turnout across the nation. Whether they voted in advance or showed up the day of, 49 percent of eligible voters—including Dreyfoos students—made time to turn in a ballot. This year’s midterms drew in an estimated 113 million people, surpassing the previous record of 100 million.

As is typical of any election, this year’s held plenty of its own problems. Utah, Texas, New York, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida each held elections that were too close to call, which led to recounts. Recounts are usually triggered when the results have a difference of 5 percent or less. Florida held recounts for the Senate and governor positions.

In the Senate race, Republican Gov. Rick Scott came out victorious against incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. Before the recount, Scott led Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin didn’t change after the machine recounts, so Scott gained the seat. Scott has been given an “A” rating by the NRA and is rumored to have “regularly put the wishes of corporate polluters above the needs of Florida’s environment and families.” One of the biggest issues that Scott seeks to address is that of including pre-existing conditions in the state as a part of his healthcare plan.

While Florida saw a switch from a Democrat to a Republican in the Senate, the race for governor saw a Republican victor once again. Coming as a shock to many, Ron DeSantis surpassed Andrew Gillum in the votes for governor. This race also saw a recount after there was a 0.41 percentage point difference, with Desantis in the lead. During the recount, Gillum conceded, giving Desantis the position. Desantis holds many similar views to those of Rick Scott and has often publicly praised President Donald Trump through political rallies and advertisements. Additionally, he released an education plan to cut administrative costs, putting the savings into school choice programs and recruiting/retaining teachers.

Another Republican win in Florida was in favor of Brian Mast, the House of Representatives incumbent who took the win over Suncoast alumna and Democratic candidate Lauren Baer. This race was not nearly as close as those previously mentioned, with a difference of about 9 percent. This was a predicted win for Mast despite the “blue wave” that took on Florida for the House.

Republican wins over Democrats in House races, such as Mast over Baer, were in the minority this year. The country as a whole saw a Democrat takeover of the House of Representatives seats. Two hundred thirty-two districts elected a Democratic representative, while 198 elected a Republican. This flip in representatives is a big win for the Democratic Party that could predict change in the current partisan majority.

Overall, the election was a win for both major parties. The Republican Party saw a majority of wins in races for governor and the Senate; however, while the Republican Party holds the majority in the Senate, the Democratic Party now holds the majority in the House of Representatives. After a record number in voter turnouts, surprising results, and recounts in multiple states, this election will go down in history.