- Polling predictions of a “red wave” where the Republicans wipe out Joe Biden’s Democrats fail to materialise.
- GOP may yet take the House – but gains are so far modest.
- John Fetterman Senate win paves the way for Dems to retain the Senate.
The Republicans and Democrats were fighting a close battle for control of the US Congress – with the chances of a landslide victory for the GOP, or a “red wave”, diminishing.
Voter fears over the economy and the low approval rating of president Joe Biden meant his party were expecting a grim night at the polls, with both the Democrat-held House of Representatives and the Senate vulnerable.
Republicans need to flip five Democratic seats in the House. While early results suggested that the party was closing in on a narrow win, key races had yet to be called, with many on a knife-edge.
The GOP need to pick up just one net win to gain control of the Senate, but the pivotal races in Nevada, Georgia and Arizona had yet to called.
Tight battles – notably Democratic senator Raphael Warnock versus Republican challenger Herschel Walker – could take days to conclude.
While the kind of blow out that greeted the first midterm elections of the Barack Obama and Donald Trump presidencies was looking unlikely, a simple majority in just the House would still paralyse Biden’s legislative agenda.
Nonetheless, given the expectations of big Republican gains, questions will be asked over the party’s strategy and the shadow Donald Trump – who endorsed hundreds of candidates – casts over the party.
Senate
In one of the most remarkable results of the night, Democrat John Fetterman is projected to win his Senate race in Pennsylvania, overcoming a stroke and attacks on his criminal justice record to flip a seat that had been in Republican hands for 12 years.
Fetterman defeated Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon known to millions of Americans as Dr Oz thanks to his career as a daytime TV talk show host.
The win gives the Democrats an insurance policy, meaning the Republicans have to win an extra seat.
Republican JD Vance is projected to easily win Ohio’s Senate contest over Democrat Tim Ryan, keeping the seat in GOP control following the retirement of senator Rob Portman.
Keep up with the latest below.
House of Representatives
In Virginia, Elaine Luria was the first Democratic incumbent to lose a highly competitive House district, falling to Jen Kiggans. But Democratic representatives Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton held off spirited Republican challengers in districts the GOP had hoped to flip.
Governors
In addition to every House seat and 35 Senate seats, three dozen governors’ races are on the ballot. Florida governor Ron DeSantis was projected to win re-election to a second term, checking off a necessary task prior to a possible run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. His crushing win will lead to Republican strategists to speculate whether he is better placed than ex-president Trump to win in two years.
In Georgia, governor Brian Kemp defeated voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams once again, according to projections.
Josh Shapiro, the Democratic attorney general for Pennsylvania, is projected to become governor after defeating Republican Doug Mastriano. His victory ensures that Mastriano, an election denier, will not be in charge of a key battleground state for the 2024 presidential contest — a prospect that had raised alarm across the country.
Democrat Wes Moore is projected to be Maryland’s first Black governor after defeating Dan Cox, a Republican closely aligned with Trump.
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is projected to win the Arkansas governorship, securing a post once held by her father and boosting her national profile as a top Republican.
What was happening?
Elections for the US Congress, which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate, happen every two years.
All legislative power in the government is vested in Congress. As well as making federal laws, the two chambers have the power to raise, spend and borrow money, approve Supreme Court justices and even remove a president from office.
The “midterm” elections is the round of ballots that falls half-way through the US president’s four-year term in office, and is often seen as an opportunity for voters to hand down a verdict on the president, and typically blame the party that holds the White House for their grievances.
What are the issues at play?
Republicans were buoyed by Biden’s low approval ratings, and have been fuelling voter concerns about the parlous state of economy and inflation. Their focus has been on how – despite a strong record on employment – Biden is responsible for household concerns such as rising petrol or “gas” prices, even if these have been caused by global factors such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the Democrats have been thrown a political life raft.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, reversing 50 years of established constitutional protection for abortion, Democrats have used the issue as a rallying cry to help boost turnout among their base voters.
Opposing candidates also have differing messages on touchstone American issues including immigration and policing.