PENNSYLVANIA — Democrats in key Pennsylvania races came out ahead in last week’s midterm elections, helping to thwart predictions of a nationwide “red wave” in the wake of President Joe Biden’s declining approval ratings.

Election analysts found that candidates like Republican PA Sen. Doug Mastriano—who lost his bid for governor to Attorney General Josh Shapiro—proved to be “too extreme” for Pennsylvania voters overall.

Mastriano was not too extreme, however, for most Wayne and Pike county voters, who made a strong showing for Republican candidates across the board.

According to both counties’ unofficial results, nearly 61 percent of Wayne County voters cast ballots for Mastriano compared to 37 percent for Shapiro, meanwhile Mastriano received about 57 percent of Pike’s vote, and Shapiro received 41 percent.

Across the entire state, the near mirror image of Pike County’s result was true, as Shapiro won with 56.3 percent over Mastriano’s 42 percent.

Things were much closer in the race for a seat in the U.S. Senate. According to the Associated Press, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman clinched the race with 51 percent of the overall vote over celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz’s 46.6 percent.

In Wayne County, about 63 percent of voters went for Oz and 34 percent went for Fetterman. Similarly in Pike, Oz came out ahead with 58 percent, compared to Fetterman’s 38 percent.

The race for PA’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House was another tight one. Democrat and incumbent Rep. Matt Cartwright once again defended his seat successfully, defeating Republican challenger and former Trump appointee Jim Bognet for the second time in a row. At press time, Cartwright came out just 2.4 percentage points ahead of his opponent, the closest race Cartwright has seen in his career so far.

In Wayne, 64 percent of voters went for Bognet and 35 percent for Cartwright. In Pike, about 59 percent for Bognet and 39 percent for Cartwright.

In races left solely up to Wayne and Pike voters, Republicans scored some seemingly easy victories.

Wayne County Commissioner Joe Adams defeated his Democratic opponent Meg Rosenfeld in the race for Legislative District 139 in the Pennsylvania House, currently held by outgoing Rep. Mike Peifer. Adams received more than half the ballots in both counties, while Rosenfeld fell below 40 percent in both.

In the PA Senate, Republican Sen. Lisa Baker was reelected to serve the newly drawn 20th Senate District, while Republican Rep. Rosemary Brown—who is leaving her position as a representative—was elected to serve the newly drawn 40th Senate District, which now encompasses the southern end of Wayne County, including the county seat of Honesdale.