The 2018 Midterm Election Campaign in 11 Lasting Images
The 2018 midterm elections may feel like they’ve been going on forever. But with the vote happening on Tuesday, November 6, the latest seemingly never-ending campaign season will finally end. It’s been a whirlwind ride that started, as every election seems to, the morning after the last big national election — in this case the 2016 presidential election.
But after the despondency of that night, there has arisen a great deal of grassroots energy around progressive policies and progressive politicians. And even as the horrors of school shootings, Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and a controversial Supreme Court nomination have unfolded, there have been leaders emerging who are ready to tackle the challenges we need to face.
So let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable moments and people from the 2018 midterms campaign.
Jessica McGowan1/11Stacey Abrams
Stacey Abrams sitting next to Oprah Winfrey at a town-hall-style event in Georgia on November 1. Winfrey interviewed the Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, who has also garnered support from Barack Obama. A win for Abrams wouldn’t just impact Georgia — it could mean the country’s first female black governor. It’s a tight race against her opponent, Brian Kemp, who faced a lawsuit for alleged voter suppression — and who infamously pointed a shotgun at a teenager in a campaign ad.
Chip Somodevilla2/11Beto O'Rourke
Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke (center, fist raised) is thronged by a crowd of supporters leaving a campaign event on November 4. O'Rourke, who’s running to replace Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), built his candidacy on elbow grease, making visits to all 254 counties in Texas by June. O'Rourke has become a bit of national political celebrity during the campaign, being depicted as the all-around cool guy who skateboards and used to play in a band. It’s a stark contrast to Cruz, who infamously criticized Texas Democrats for dyeing their hair and eating tofu.
Mario Tama3/11The Family Separation Crisis
In a moment of national awakening, people took to the streets over the summer to protest the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which resulted in separating immigrant parents and children attempting to enter the United States. People marched on the tent cities where the kids were being held and across the country. Despite the administration’s hesitancy, some families have been reunited, like the Honduran father and son pictured here in September. But as of mid-October, hundreds of parents and children remained separated.
MARK RALSTON4/11Deb Haaland
Deb Haaland (center) is pictured with her staff at their Albuquerque, New Mexico, office on October 1. Haaland is running for the state’s 1st Congressional District seat. If elected, she could be the first Native American woman to hold a seat in the House of Representatives. This election season, Haaland was part of a record-high number of women registered to run for House seats.
Melina Mara5/11Jasmine Clark
Jasmine Clark (center), photographed in her Georgia home before canvassing in September. The scientist is a candidate for the Georgia House District 108, but she never expected to run for office. Clark, who is a microbiologist and mother of two, told The Lily that she cried in her pajamas when Trump was elected — and then she got to work. She faces off against Republican incumbent Clay Cox. Her story mirrors that of so many other women who have made 2018 a record year for women — and women of color — running for office.
JIM WATSON6/11March for Our Lives
Though it may feel like an eternity ago, the tragic attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was just earlier this year, on February 14. Students who survived that horror, such as Emma González and David Hogg, immediately asserted themselves as political voices who would force the nation to reckon with the issue of guns, the NRA, and its influence in politics in the months ahead of the 2018 midterms. The massive March for Our Lives in Washington on March 24 was just the beginning of a national effort to make gun control a central issue in the elections.
Joe Raedle7/11Andrew Gillum
Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, a Democrat, stands alongside former president Barack Obama, who campaigned for Gillum on November 2 at a taco restaurant in Wynwood, Miami. Gillum, who currently serves as the mayor of Tallahassee, could become Florida’s first black governor. His race against Representative Ron DeSantis has been racially charged from the get-go, with DeSantis telling voters not to “monkey this up” by voting for Gillum.
Tom Williams8/11Heidi Heitkamp
North Dakota senator Heidi Heitkamp is pictured with a duck call in August. Heitkamp, who is the first female senator to serve in her state, plays a key role in whether the Senate will lean blue or red following the midterms. In the 2016 election, North Dakota was a key state in President Donald Trump’s victory. The incumbent has been trailing her opponent, Representative Kevin Cramer, in the polls, and a loss would mean the Dems would need an additional Senate win for a chance to take the majority, but apparent voter suppression has taken a central role in North Dakota’s Senate race — especially for Indigenous voters.
Spencer Platt9/11The Migrant Caravan
Hundreds of Central American migrants, like those seen here on November 5, have been trekking toward the southern border of the United States. President Trump has done his best to make the caravan a central campaign issue, but has been widely criticized not just for the lies he’s told but for his fear tactics. In interviews with Teen Vogue, several young migrants explained what motivated them to make the daunting journey north.
Stephanie Keith10/11Christine Hallquist
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist (left) campaigning in a Vermont café on November 4. Hallquist is the first openly trans person nominated to run for governor by a major party. If she were to win, Hallquist would be the country’s first openly trans governor. But she faces what has been described as an “uphill battle” against incumbent Phil Scott, a moderate Republican who takes progressive stances on topics like gay marriage and reproductive rights and has been critical of President Trump in the past.
NurPhoto11/11The Kavanaugh Confirmation
Protesters (like the one seen here on a statue outside the Supreme Court on Ocrtober 6) rallied in huge numbers as Republicans muscled through the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, despite allegations of sexual misconduct and assault. Both Democrats and Republicans have been eager to claim that what happened with Kavanaugh will give them a midterms boost.
