As a block, this year’s midterm races did not go as expected. But even as Democrats stemmed their losses in the House and as the Senate still hangs in the balance, a frequent theme of the House and Senate map remained: The battle was fought on some unexpected turf.
No, Republicans didn’t clean up in the blue states, such as Oregon and Washington, as many GOP operatives predicted. But if the party achieves a slim House majority, it would run through a tranche of seats in New York as well as Virginia’s 2nd District and other seats won by President Joe Biden in 2020. Democrats found some bright spots in unconventional territory and were leading in a completely off-the-radar seat in Colorado’s 3rd District.
Republicans spent hundreds of millions of dollars in districts that Biden won in 2020, while Democrats employed some risky tactics to help boost their own candidates. It’s expected to be the costliest midterm cycle to date.
