From Ron DeSantis to John Fetterman and J.D. Vance, the stars of the midterms

Every vote count ends with a set of leading names. Some because they have succeeded or failed in their political objectives. But other protagonists had a lot at stake in these elections, even if they did not run.

Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis is the great protagonist of election night and the clearest winner. The Florida governor has renewed his office with a large lead over his rival, Democrat Charlie Crist (he won with 59.4% of the vote to Crist's 40.0%).

It is a landslide victory, which is best understood with the reelection of Marco Rubio as senator for Florida (by more than 16 points) and with the advance of the Republicans in the House of Representatives (they have recovered 4 seats that were held by the Democrats, a better result than in the rest of the country).

In short, Republicans have turned a "purple" state, split almost evenly between Democrats and Republicans, into a red state. "We have rewritten the political map," Ron DeSantis declared in his victory speech. And it has been he who has done it, more than Rubio, with his more indistinct profile. Dyeing Florida's purple to red means handing the GOP its 19 electoral votes. In the last four elections, Florida has delivered its electoral votes twice to a Democratic candidate (to Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012) and twice to a Republican candidate (to Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020).

Ron DeSantis has strongly opposed the confinement measures, school closures, and imposition of facemasks. He has also embarked on an anti-woke crusade that has taken him further than a more classical conservative governor could have anticipated; some of his measures have been overturned for supposedly infringing on free enterprise. Nevertheless he led the state admirably as it bordered on catastrophe with the impact of Hurricane Ian.

Donald Trump

And if Ron DeSantis is the winner, who is seen as his main rival is the one who has lost the most in this election: former President Donald Trump. Before the recount, and when everyone expected a "red wave," Trump revealed that he would make a major announcement on Tuesday, November 15. It was practically a preview of his candidacy for 2024, which everyone already takes for granted.

Why mention this announcement before the election? To fly with the wings of a Congress in Republican hands after a great election day for his party. However, like the song by Mr. Mister, the wings are broken. Trump has taken center stage in the election, and now that that stage is leaving a lingering aftertaste of defeat for the GOP, Trump can't help but be affected by it.

Someone might accuse him of being an opportunist after he said, "Well, I think if they win, I should get all the credit. If they lose, they shouldn't blame me at all." But these are ironic words because they anticipate that what will happen is precisely the opposite.

Anna Paulina Luna

Republican Anna Paulina Luna is one of the faces of the Republican victory in Florida. She is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Of Mexican origin, she is one of the "Hispanic Republicans" that the press talks about, between astonishment and surprise. She has defeated Eric Lynn, a former Obama advisor, in the 13th district in Tampa Bay. Luna served in the Army for 9 years, from 2009 to 2018, and is the leader for Turning Point USA's Hispanic Engagement in Politics.

The surname is a reference to the satellite and is not her original surname, nor is Florida her state of birth. She was born in Santa Ana, California, in 1989 as Anna Paulina Mayerhofer, but subsequently changed her last name to that of her maternal grandmother, who was Mexican.

Ruby Cramer, in The Washington Post, says of her:

Two years ago, she lost in the same district to Charlie Crist, who in this election is running as the Democratic candidate for governor of the state.

Beto O'Rourke and John Fetterman

Crist's name will be lost in the annals of American politics like tears in the rain. But Beto O'Rourke, who lost the Texas gubernatorial election to Greg Abbott, deserves a more prominent place. He is one of the most memorable losers in recent national politics: He lost to Ted Cruz in the 2018 Texas Senate election. In 2019 he announced that he wanted to be the Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump in 2020, but his slim chances convinced him to drop out of the race before the primaries even began. And now he sees the Texas governor's race running away as he flounders 11 percentage points behind. According to National Review, $164 million has been spent on these three races.

The counterpoint, within the Democrats, is one of the few clear winners the party has had: John Fetterman. He is the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, and he was hoping to wrest the Senate seat from the Republican Party, which is held by the incumbent, Pat Toomey. To do so, he had to face two obstacles: the Republican candidate Mehmet Oz, and the stroke he suffered last May.

Although Oz is a competent candidate, a physician with thousands of hours of on-camera experience, he has had the hardest time overcoming the consequences of his ailment. During the campaign, he has said things he probably did not want to say. The last was "I celebrate the demise of Roe v. Wade." He resisted engaging in a debate with his rival, and when he finally did, miserably.

But if he had been in perfect condition, he would also have had to overcome several difficulties. The first of these is his "soft" record on the fight against crime, which he wanted to conceal even until the last minute. He will no longer have to do so, now that he is a senator. Nor will he have to hide the fact that he is a supporter of the woke agenda, at least in the moments when he maintains lucidity.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

Some are already saying that one of the winners of this election is the one who was destined to lose it: President Joe Biden. It is too early to assess it as the slow vote count shows that the Republicans are 16 seats away from a majority in the House of Representatives out of 48 that remain to be allocated. Additionally we will have to wait until December 6, for the runoff in Georgia, to know the final Senate apportionment.

But there are certain things we can advance. With a House of Representatives in Republican hands, we can expect a slowdown in the Biden Administration's spending policy. But there is more: Congress will seek to investigate the corrupt dealings of his son Hunter, and he will need to enter the FBI as if he were carrying a flamethrower in his hands. It will be down to the majority in the Senate, and the good health and willingness of the justices to continue, to be able to appoint a new member of the Supreme Court.

One word is uttered every time a president has an unfavorable Congress: impeachment. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has already filed articles of impeachment. But what Joe Biden may be facing is a different kind of impeachment.

Given his delicate health, one possibility is that his impeachment may come from the Democratic side. Kamala Harris could invoke Article 25 of the Constitution before Congress, which would allow her to impeach Joe Biden and become President of the United States. What's more, given that it would be in the last two years of her term, she could run twice for president: in 2024 and 2028, and be president until 2032, if Americans want her to.

J.D. Vance

One of the new faces in the Senate is J. D. Vance, known for being the author of Hillbily Elegy; a memoir recounting his life in Middletown, Ohio. A story of low-skilled, low-wage jobs, traditional values, and attachment to the land. Opposite are those who conform to the system by living on subsidies and grants and expect to get ahead based on what others do, typically in government, rather than on their efforts. It is the story of how to survive in an urban jungle, where threats come from drug addiction, alcohol, violence, and the welfare state.

The book became a phenomenon in 2016, following an interview by The American Conservative with J. D. Vance, and many analysts saw it as the literary ode to a part of America that had led Donald Trump to the presidency. The book was made into a remarkable film starring Glenn Close, who once again proved what a great actress she is, and was well supported by Amy Adams.

Vance defeated the Democratic candidate, Tim Ryan, 53.28% to 46.72%. He will be a senator from his home state of Ohio. Vance has allowed himself to be critical of Donald Trump as a candidate and although the former president is not comfortable with the criticism, he has not stopped supporting him.

James Moylan

The Guam Election Commission has awarded Republican James Moylan the victory over Democratic candidate Judith Won Pat, with a five-point difference. This result makes him the first Republican delegate from Guam in 30 years; the last was in 1992. His early election seemed to presage a red wave that, in the end, did not come. His predecessor, Michael San Nicolas (D), is under investigation for corruption.

Moylan received a Bachelor of Science degree from the John F. Kennedy Institute in Tumon, Guam, and a Bachelor of Laws degree in Criminal Law from the University of Guam. Among other jobs, Moylan has been an officer in the U.S. Army, and a parole officer for Guam. He is an insurance agent and has served in his country's Parliament since 2018.

Brian Kemp

Although he is not at his best, Donald Trump has shown in this election to have great strength within the Republican Party. He has swept all 10 of the impeachment 10, minus Dan Newhouse, who won in his district, and the pardoned David Valadao, who could win California's 22nd district. On the other hand, Trump has placed 92% of its candidates in the primaries.

But he has a rival who seems to have another category and has won a resounding victory in this election: Brian Kemp. He has beaten Stacey Abrams in the Georgia gubernatorial election with 53.4% of the vote to the Democrat's 45.8%. Abrams has led a very extreme platform, even for the Democratic Party, and this is the second time she has lost to Kemp.

Brian Kemp has followed the path of many others: he leaps into politics after a successful business career. As governor of Georgia, he has opposed confinements and mandatory facemasks, and in the name of freedom, he prohibited counties from imposing restrictive measures. He owes his victory in large part to his defense of freedom in those circumstances, like Ron DeSantis.

But Kemp ran against Donald Trump in 2020. The candidate for presidential re-election said there had been cases of fraud in Georgia, among other states, and criticized Kemp when he certified the results. Trump sent one of his men to unseat Kemp for the Republican nomination in Georgia, but the governor won with authority.