Early election takeaways: It’s called history for a reason

By BRIAN SLODYSKO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Occasionally American elections provide a moment of national unity. This is not one of those occasions. The 2022 midterms have been bitter, fractious and exceedingly expensive. President Joe Biden, who has presided over unified Democratic control of Washington for the first time in over a decade, has been buffeted by out-of-control inflation, growing worries about crime and the lingering effects of a once-in-a-century pandemic. Republicans, meanwhile, have had to deal with a bitter rift between the party’s establishment wing and President Donald Trump, whose enthusiastic support for far-right first time candidates has fueled divisive primaries.