President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. The ambassadors to both Canada and the United States say democracy was the true winner in Tuesday's midterm elections. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Susan Walsh
WASHINGTON – The ambassadors representing Canada and the United States in each other’s capitals say democracy was the true winner in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Both David Cohen, Washington’s envoy in Ottawa, and Kirsten Hillman, the top Canadian diplomat in D.C., say strong voter turnout is a sign of health in the U.S. political system.
The final outcome remains to be determined.
As the counting of votes continues out west, Republicans are on track for a slim majority in the House of Representatives, while the Senate remains split.
One key battleground, Georgia, won’t be settled until next month, when Republican challenger Herschel Walker and Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock square off in a runoff rematch.
Cohen says while it’s still early, a relative lack of inflamed post-election rhetoric, a number of gracious concessions and the defeats of several prominent election deniers suggest a degree of civility has returned to U.S. politics.
Cohen also says that while he believes Joe Biden will run again in 2024, the president’s final decision will have nothing to do with who’s most likely to win the Republican nomination.
A 20-point win Tuesday by Ron DeSantis has touched off a fevered discussion south of the border about whether the Florida governor plans to challenge Donald Trump’s grip on the party.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2022.
