The midterm elections took place on November 6th and resulted in a split of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Democrats were able to take control of the House, while Republicans held on to the Senate. Democratic hopes for a massive “blue wave,” ultimately fell flat of the sweeping victory they had hoped for.

This election was historic because it saw a change in the nation’s political activity, with a record number of people flocking to the polls, and because of the historic accomplishments made regarding gender and race. A record number of women won seats in the House, and Democrats Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland became the first Native American women elected to Congress. Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar are the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress. Democrat Ayanna Presley is the first black woman to represent Massachusetts in the House. Republican Marsha Blackburn is the first female senator to represent Tennessee, and Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia are the first Hispanic women to represent Texas in Congress. South Dakota also elected its first woman governor, with Republican Kristi Noem winning her race. In addition 29-year-old Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history as the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress.

The 2018 midterm elections also saw historic wins for the LGBTQ community. Colorado’s Jared Polis became the United State’s first openly gay man to be elected governor, and Sharice Davids became the first lesbian Native American elected to Congress. Democrat Christine Hallquist made history as the first transgender major party nominee but failed to defeat Republican Phil Scott.

Two closely watched races hit particularly close to home this midterm election, as well. In Texas, Beto O’Rourke ran against incumbent Republican Ted Cruz in an attempt to be the first Democratic Texas senator since 1988. In one of the tightest midterm races to date, O’Rourke lost, polling at 48.3% to Cruz’s 50.9%.

In Florida, the governor and senator races were very close, triggering an automatic recount. According to Florida law, an automatic recount occurs when the margin between two candidates is under 0.50%. Typically a Republican state, Florida showed a strong Democratic presence this election. Democrat Andrew Gillum attempted to become Florida’s first black governor and ran against Republican Ron DeSantis. Gillum polled at 49.2% while DeSantis came in at 49.6%.

In the Senate race, Republican Rick Scott is running against three-term incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. The race was called and Scott polled at 50.1% while Nelson came in at 49.9%. Overall, this season’s midterm elections have been very historic.