In Tuesday’s midterm elections, both parties won in some of the tightest races, with several Democratic incumbents winning key suburban House districts and Republicans holding an open Senate seat in Ohio. Many races that could decide to take control of Congress are still premature.
In Virginia, Rep. Elaine Luria, a Navy veteran who is investigating the Jan. 6 uprising by a House committee, is the first Democratic incumbent to lose a contested House district to Former Navy helicopter pilot Jen Kiggans. But Democrats Abigail Spanberg and Jennifer Wexton blocked aggressive Republican challengers in districts the GOP hoped to flip.
Other Democratic incumbents in Rhode Island and Kansas also won re-election in key House seats, giving Democrats hope that the Republican wave may not materialize.
In the Senate, Republican JD Vance won in Ohio, beating 10-term Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan for the Republican seat. Other Senate races in Pennsylvania, Georgia and New Hampshire are premature, but crucial to which party controls the Senate. Vance’s victory represented a major victory for former President Donald Trump, who supported the author and first-time candidate during the Republican primary and held several rallies on his behalf.
The results of the House and Senate races will be decide the future of Biden’s agenda And put a referendum on his government at a time when the country was mired by record high inflation and concerns about the country’s direction. Republican control of the House of Representatives could spark a round of investigations into Biden and his family, while a Republican takeover of the Senate would weaken Biden’s ability to make judicial appointments.
Democrats are facing historic headwinds.The ruling party almost always suffers in the president’s first midterm elections, but Democrats have been hoping Supreme Court decision angers abortion rights May inspire their voters to buck the tide of history.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, two possible future Republican presidential candidates, defeated Democratic challengers , won re-election in the nation’s two largest red states. For Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who lost to Abbott, it was his third unsuccessful campaign since 2018.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Rafael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker are vying for a seat that could decide control of the Senate.
Republicans believe information focused on the economy, gas prices and crime will be Inflation soars and Violence escalates.
AP poll, a extensive investigation National polls of voters show that high inflation and concerns about the fragility of democracy are weighing heavily on voters.
Half of voters said inflation was an important factor, with the cost of groceries, gas, housing, food and other soaring over the past year. Slightly fewer (44%) said the future of democracy was their top priority.
Overall, seven in 10 voters said the ruling overturning the 1973 decision on abortion rights was a big factor in their midterm decision.
VoteCast also showed that the reversal was generally unpopular. About six in 10 said they were angry or dissatisfied with it, while about four in 10 said they were happy. About six in 10 said they favor a law that would guarantee legal abortions nationwide.
There is no widespread problem with ballots or voter intimidation reported across the country, although there are The typical hiccup on most election days. Some watchmakers do not work in New Jersey County.In Philadelphia, Democrats are counting on high turnout, with complaints of being turned away when they show up in person Attempt to address issues with mail-in ballots they previously cast.
exist Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, the state’s largest county, has officials reporting problems with voting tabulating machines at about 20 percent of polling locations. That has fueled anger and skepticism about the vote among some Republicans since the state narrowly backed Biden in 2020.
Voters also decide high-profile races for the Senate or governor in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan, among others. The race for secretary of state is also on the ballot, roles that typically receive little attention but have come under increasing scrutiny as Republican contenders who refuse to accept the 2020 results are running to control the administration of future elections.
The country’s democratic future has been called into question in the country’s first national election since the January 6 uprising. Some of those involved in or near the attack were expected to win elected office on Tuesday, including several running for House seats. Fears of political violence are also rising less than two weeks after a suspect under the spell of conspiracy theories attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and brutally beat her 82-year-old husband .
The 2022 election is expected to cost $16.7 billion at the state and federal levels, making it the most expensive midterm election ever, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan campaign finance tracker.
Republicans are in a strong position in the final stages of the campaign to regain control of at least one House of Congress, giving them the power to thwart Biden’s agenda for the remaining two years of his term. Republicans only need a net gain of one seat to win a seat in the U.S. Senate and five seats to regain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
All seats in the House and 34 in the Senate are up for grabs — Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona are particularly likely to be in suspense. Thirty-six states are electing governors, many of which are also expected to be minimized.
The situation in state capitals is more complicated. The GOP has faced unexpected headwinds as it toppled the conservative Kansas governor’s office. Meanwhile, Democrats are nervous about their prospects in the gubernatorial race in Oregon, often a bastion of liberalism.
Democrats have easily pushed back Trump-backed Republicans in several left-leaning states, while a tougher test that could determine congressional control and the future of Joe Biden’s presidency awaits in more competitive fields on.
Despite their liberal histories, states like Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois have elected moderate Republican governors in the past. But this year Republicans appear to be too conservative in those states, giving Democrats easy wins in midterm elections that might otherwise be difficult for Democrats.
Massachusetts and Maryland also witnessed historic firsts: Democrat Maura Healy became the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts, and the first openly gay state governor, Wes Moore Become the first black governor of Maryland.
Healey defeated Geoff Diehl in Massachusetts, Moore defeated Dan Cox in Maryland, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker defeated state Senator Darren Bailey. Cox and Bailey are among the far-right Republicans that Democrats have spent tens of millions of dollars on in the primary, arguing that they will be easier to defeat in the general election than their more moderate rivals.
If Republicans have a particularly strong election to win Democratic-controlled congressional seats in places like New Hampshire or Washington state, Biden could face pressure to opt against re-election in 2024.Meanwhile, Trump may try to use the GOP gains by officially launching another bid for the White House in the interim A ‘very big announcement’ In Florida next week.
The former president has backed more than 300 candidates in the midterm elections and hopes to use the Republican victory as a springboard for the 2024 presidential race.
“Well, I think if they win, I deserve all the credit. If they lose, I’m not to blame at all. But that could backfire,” Trump said in an interview with NewsNation.
It could be days or even weeks before the race is decided — possibly with congressional control. Some states with mail-in voting, such as Michigan, have seen an increase in ballot returns compared to mid-2018. Those ballots could take longer to count because in many states ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, but could take days to arrive at election offices. In Georgia’s Senate race, candidates must win at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a Dec. 6 runoff.
Sara Burnett, Jill Colvin and Will Weissert, Associated Press
US election