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WASHINGTON — Incumbent Democrats trailed in two of three closely contested House races in Virginia, known as an early indicator of the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections.
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Incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria, a member of the committee investigating the Jan. 6 unrest, trailed Republican challenger Jen Kiggans by about 12 points, with polls showing just over half.
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Rep. Abigail Spanberg, another current federal agent and CIA official, trailed Republican rival Yesley Vega by about 5 points with 70 percent of the vote.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton led Republican challenger Hong Cao by 5,000 votes, with about two-thirds of the votes counted.
A race in Virginia that supports Joe Biden in 2020 is seen as a potential early warning of Democrats fearing a voter backlash.
Key Senate races in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina and New Hampshire are still too close to be called early on the promised long night.
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In purple Ohio, Congressman Tim Ryan leads venture capitalist and “hillbilly dirge” author JD Vance by about 8 percentage points in polling reports.
In Georgia, former NFL running back Herschel Walker traded early leads with Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, both of whom are very close to the 50 percent threshold necessary to avoid next month’s runoff.
Pennsylvania Lt.-Gov. John Fettman also jumped out early to lead Trump aide Dr. Mohamed Oz, which may reflect early statistics in the Democratic-friendly urban center.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier in the day that regardless of the outcome, Canada and the United States will remain important economic partners who will work together for the common good of people on both sides of the border.
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“We’ve had very different government configurations in the past,” Trudeau said when asked about potential consequences.
“No matter what happens in the medium term, the friendship and strong relationship between Canada and the United States will continue.”
Polls suggest Democrats will have a rough night as voters express persistent concerns about the U.S. economy, stubborn inflation and crime.
Republicans are expected to win control of the House, while the balance of power in the Senate comes down to a handful of key races, including Pennsylvania and Georgia.
It may also take a while for the dust to settle: Officials in Pennsylvania have warned that it could take days to count all mail-in ballots, while Georgia may need a second round of elections next month to resolve the Senate battle.
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Midterm elections are rarely a piece of cake for the party that controls the White House, but stubborn inflation, economic anxiety and dismal approval ratings for President Joe Biden have been rocket fuel for Republicans.
Democrats have used concerns about abortion rights and the poor health of the country’s democracy to paint the Republican Party as a fundamental threat to fundamental American freedoms.
In Arizona, where the polls have yet to close, Cary Lake, a Trump-neighboring Republican, has drained a lot of political oxygen and catapulted her to the national stage, fueling speculation that she could soon gain Presidential vote.
Polls show Lake is narrowly ahead of her Democratic rival, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, while on the Senate side, Sen. Mark Kelly is trying to fend off a challenge from Republican hopeful Blake Masters. .
Next door in Nevada, Republicans still hope Adam Laxalter can oust incumbent Democratic Sen. Kathryn Cortez-Masto.
In the most surprising result of the night, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge Donald Trump’s Republican presidential nomination in 2024, comfortably beat back democracy Party rival Charlie Crist.