Republicans Win on Inflation but Lose on Abortion
Prayed-for midterm “red wave” fails to materialize.
Mayra Flores thought the full moon, which looked red as it passed through the Earth’s shadow in the early hours of Election Day, was a good sign.
The Latina Republican who declared she was “taking Jesus to the halls of Congress” when she won a special election in South Texas in 2021, hoped and prayed for “a red wave” to carry her to reelection on Tuesday.
“The moon controls the tide,” Flores tweeted. “Bring on the red wave!”
But as votes were counted late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, it became clear the moon meant nothing. Flores, a conservative with a lot of evangelical support in the Rio Grande Valley, lost by about 11,000 votes. She blamed her defeat on the people who didn’t turn out.
“Republicans and Independents stayed home,” she wrote on Twitter. “DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RESULTS IF YOU DID NOT DO YOUR PART!”
Votes were still being counted Wednesday morning, but Republicans looked like they were going to win a slim majority of congressional races, taking control of the House away from Democrats. They were not on track to win the sweeping victory that so many had hoped for.
The rapid rise of food and fuel costs was the top issue for voters, according to CNN’s nationwide exit polls. Three out of four people casting a ballot said they were unhappy with the economy. Roughly two-thirds said gas prices were causing them hardship.
Seventy percent of the voters who said inflation was their top issue voted Republican.
Roughly a quarter of the electorate identified as white evangelical or born-again Christian, according to the exit poll. The vast majority of them voted for Republican candidates, but CNN did not share data on the …