FROM THE HILL


What the 2022 Mid-Term Elections Mean for the Landscape Industry


GOING INTO THIS ELECTION, PUNDITS WERE beginning to predict that we could see a massive wave election like in 1994 and 2010 when the party opposite of a first term sitting president makes significant gains to control both the House and the Senate.


By Andrew Bray Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Membership


Written on Dec. 9, 2022 BE IN THE KNOW


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Well, that’s not exactly what happened on Tuesday, Nov. 8. On Tuesday night, it was still very possible that Republicans could take control of the House and the Senate but with a much smaller margin than what we would consider a “wave” election. Now, a month after the elec- tion we have much clearer re- sults and know that the Senate will be 51-49 with Democrats in control. Republicans gained controlled of the House, but their majority is only three votes, no “wave” here. While the electorate seemed ready to elect Republicans based on a pro-economy and anti-crime message it seems that concerns over the quality of the candidates, election deniers, and reproductive rights played a much larger part of these elections than anticipated.


SENATE


On election night, three states remained in limbo to determine control of the Senate – Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. In the end, incumbent Democrats Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) were able to hold on to the majority of the vote and won their senate races. In Georgia, Sen. Warnock


(D-GA) was leading challenger Herschel Walker by more than 40,000 votes but did not reach 50 percent, which required a runoff. The runoff was on Dec.


38 The Edge //January/February 2023


6 and with a 2.8 percent margin, Sen. Warnock was able to hold on to his seat. With a Democratic win, we can see another two years of not much being accomplished with such a narrow majority and Sen. Manchin’s moderate reputation. There may be some move- ment on entitlement programs like social security and Medi- care, but this Senate is likely not going to tackle anything significant. With this Senate, we do not see too much difference on our key issues going into the next Congress.


HOUSE


On election night, there were still approximately 30 seats that had not been decided, but projections were that the Republicans would take control of the House with a very narrow margin of 221 to 214. 218 is the majority, so if that was the case then Republicans would only have a 3-vote majority, which is razor thin. A month later, now we know the margin is 221 to 213, with one more race still awaiting to be called.


Small majorities make it very difficult for the majority party to accomplish much. The Repub- lican party has several factions that will need to be appeased and the boisterous Freedom Caucus will wield even more power understanding they have the ability to block even Repub-


lican-backed initiatives. Republicans in control of the House is good for NALP’s two key issues going into this Congress. Tuesday’s elections mark the end of one Congress and the beginning of another. A lot is still left to happen in the coming days, but we believe we are well positioned either way to make significant gains on H-2B and our Farm Bill priorities. We will provide in-depth analysis of party leadership and Committee assignments as this process moves forward.


NOTEWORTHY WINS FOR NALP It is always important that champions for NALP issues remain in Congress, here are some good stats on members that won reelection:


 Of the 35 Senators that signed onto a key H-2B letter in February – 11 won reelection, 2 retired and the remaining 22 were not up for reelection.


 Of the 94 representatives that are co-sponsors of H.R. 3897, the Returning Worker Exception Act of 2021 – 71 won reelection, 10 lost and 13 retired.


**Noteworthy that Reps. Cuellar (D-TX) and Spanberg- er (D-VA) survived very tough elections!


 Lastly, 100 percent of mem- bers that NALP provided a PAC contribution in 2022 will be back in the 118th Congress! TE


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