Robert Garcia Will Be First Out Gay Immigrant in Congress

Courtesy LGBTQ Victory Fund
ADVOCATE: Garcia, an immigrant from Peru and the mayor of Long Beach, Calif., has been elected to the U.S. House from California's 42nd Congressional District.

Robert Garcia of California has been elected as the first out gay immigrant in Congress.

Garcia, currently mayor of Long Beach, has won the U.S. House seat in California’s 42nd Congressional District, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

A Democrat, he bested Republican John Briscoe, a businessman. As of 9:30 p.m. Pacific time, Garcia had 68 percent of the vote and Briscoe 32 percent. Because of redistricting, there was no incumbent in the race. » | Trudy Ring | Wednesday, November 9, 2022

US elections: LGBTQ+ candidates smash through rainbow ceiling as future of queer rights hangs in the balance: Numerous LGBTQ+ candidates have smashed the rainbow ceiling and won seats in the 2022 US elections. »

‘Interesting Evening’: Trump Has Little to Say as Republicans Fail to Deliver

THE GUARDIAN: The normally talkative former president appears uneasy at Mar-a-Lago election night event

Donald Trump takes the stage to speak at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP
It was expected to be a moment of triumph for Donald Trump, but it did not quite turn out that way.

The former US president appeared uneasy about underwhelming Republican performance in the midterms at an election watch party he hosted at his plush Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night, after it was clear there would be no “red wave” that he had implored his supporters to deliver.

The election night gathering, organized in the large ballroom at his Florida property, was not an event where the often talkative Trump seemed particularly interested in addressing guests or even speaking to reporters after he delivered a short and solitary speech.

Trump, expected to announce his third campaign for the White House next week, had anticipated strengthening his position as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination by delivering wins for candidates he endorsed, but the results in the most competitive contests were decidedly mixed. » | Hugo Lowell in West Palm Beach, Florida | Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Trump hat den Republikanern die Wahl vermasselt: So viel lässt sich schon sagen: Weniger Trump hätte diesmal mehr Republikaner bedeutet. Dennoch könnte der frühere Präsident 2024 wieder gewinnen – oder verlieren und trotzdem ins Weiße Haus gelangen. »

ÉDITORIAL : Midterms 2022 : les deux leçons des élections américaines : Les premiers résultats des élections américaines de mi-mandat attestent d’une résistance du camp démocrate, Joe Biden échappant ainsi à un vote sanction. A trop miser sur les candidatures clivantes, la vague républicaine attendue n’a pas eu lieu. »

Trump Hoped for a Celebration but Did Not Have Much to Cheer: The former president endorsed roughly 300 candidates in the midterm elections. With votes still being counted, those in competitive races appeared to have mixed results. »

The Observer View on a Dangerous Moment for American Democracy

THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: A Republican midterm landslide is the last thing a divided, angry America needs

‘Lowering over the electoral landscape like a thundercloud’: Donald Trump at a Republican rally in Iowa on 3 November 2022. Photograph: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
From one perspective, the historical significance of this Tuesday’s US midterm elections should not be overstated. Anticipated Republican gains, and a consequent loss of Democratic control of Congress, would, if they materialise, be nothing out of the ordinary. The party in power usually performs poorly at the midpoint of the election cycle, especially if the sitting president is unpopular – and Joe Biden, with a disapproval rating of 55%, certainly is.

Viewed another way, however, the immediate significance of the vote for an angry, divided America that split roughly 51%-47% between Biden and Donald Trump in 2020 cannot be overestimated. The backdrop is looming economic recession, pessimism about the future, deep schisms over race, abortion rights, crime, guns and climate – and rising political violence fuelled by disinformation, far-right pundits, conspiracy theorists and paramilitary militias.

So febrile is the state of the union in 2022 that some ask: can democracy endure? … » | Editorial | Sunday, October 6, 2022