By Leonard E. ColvinChief ReporterNew Journal and GuideThe Republican “red wave” where the GOP would take over the U.S. House, Senate, and various state races did not materialize.Many political pundits are calling the weak GOP showing “ROEVember.”The Conservative and GOP-leaning U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down federal protection of abortion rights may have short-circuited the party’s goal.Despite claims of pre-election low interest among African-Americans, women, and young Democrats, they had the highest turnout since 2018 and helped fend off the Republican’s power grab.Also, the majority of Republican candidates, who denied that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential race, contributed to the Republican shortfall.While the Republicans may claim the House, the party was struggling to reach the 218-seat threshold to gain control of the House, as of press time.As of November 14, with the Democrats losing eight seats, the party claimed 204. Meanwhile the Republicans gained eight seats and have 211 seats.The GOP needed seven seats to even secure a slender operating majority. But with the U.S. Senate in the hands of Democrats and Biden’s vow to veto it, any conservative legislation passed in the House will not move forward,Also, as of November 14, with the re-election of Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, Democrats will maintain its thin hold on the Senate with a 50-49 margin.Democrats are also defending a seat in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker are headed to a December 6 runoff. But even if Republicans pick up that seat, the chamber would still be evenly divided, allowing Vice President KamalaHarris to hold the tie-breaking vote. Democrats were able to hold the majority, in part, because they picked up a seat in Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democrat, defeated Trump-backed Dr. Mehmet Oz.One casualty of the Republican push to win the House was two-term, Virginia U.S. Congresswoman Elaine Luria, who was defeated in her reelection bid in District 2, by Jen A. Kiggans.Kiggans won by three percentage points in the 2nd Congressional district which was refashioned during the last redistricting make it slightly more Republican and conservative by removing a number of precincts in Norfolk.Luria was the only incumbent among the Virginia Congressional delegation to lose. Now there are six Democrats and five Republicans representing Virginia in the House of Representatives.The National GOP operation targeted Luria for defeat. But they did not bring down Jennifer Wexton or Abigail Spanberger, two other Democrats who won their bids.Popular incumbent Democrats Robert “Bobby” Scott (3rd Dist.), the longest-serving member of the Virginia Delegation, and A. Donald McEachin (4th Dist.), won their reelection bids handily.Stacey Abrams lost her second effort to become the first Black female Governor in Georgia.History was made in Maryland as Wes Moore was elected the first Black governor of that state. In Pennsylvania, Austin Davis was elected the first Blac