At the outset of the 2022 elections, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) was considered a prime target. She is the Democrat representing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which went for Trump in the last presidential election. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) won reelection in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, but I’m sure that news brought solace to Slotkin’s camp. This race was supposed to be an early indicator of a red wave that never occurred. Barrett, a Republican, was unable to maintain his buoyancy until the finish, and he was defeated by Slotkin by a vote of 51 to 46.
If the party is going to have a more in-depth discussion about the former president, who seems to have done more harm than good this cycle, the fact that Slotkin was able to win reelection while coming from a Trump district could be a useful talking point. However, the Republican National Committee, its campaign arms, and the congressional GOP leadership are mostly accountable for the party’s defeat in 2022, even if Trump is just one of many possible explanations. The climate in 2022 would have been ideal for a crimson wave, but what really occurred was more of a low tide.