New election, same result: Most incumbents win 2022 rematches

WASHINGTON — The majority of House incumbents facing tough rematches with their 2020 opponents prevailed again in this year’s midterms, with only one falling to a repeat challenger after redistricting made for a more challenging race.

With control of the House still uncalled as of Monday and expectations of a thin majority for the victorious party rematches largely avoided flips, with some races expected to be more competitive than they were the first time around.

In Kansas, abortion politics helped propel Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids to a second victory over Republican Amanda Adkins, even after the Republican legislature redrew her 3rd District in an attempt to make it more GOP-friendly.

In New York, Republican incumbents benefited from a new congressional map that did little to alter their races. After their victories, Reps. Nicole Malliotakis and Andrew Garbarino pointed to voters’ desire for change in Washington after the GOP incumbents posted bigger wins than they did in 2020.

Meanwhile, on the south shore of Long Island, fellow New York Republican Garbarino notched his second defeat of Democrat Jackie Gordon, a retired Army reservist and former town councilmember.

Other incumbents saw smaller margins but still held on. Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright prevailed in another challenge from Jim Bognet, a political consultant and former Trump administration official. Cartwright won Pennsylvania’s 8th District by a 2.5-point margin, compared to a nearly 4-point win in 2020. He prevailed in his third straight election even though his district would have gone for Trump in both 2016 and 2020.