Here's where things stand on Wednesday. For the news as it happened on Election Day, read here.
The red wave that pollsters and analysts projected in the 2022 midterms had not yet come to shore by the time observers went to sleep on Tuesday night, with several of the most-watched midterm elections remaining too close to call.
As day started to break on the East Coast, neither side could decisively claim control of Congress. House seats in New York and California didn't yet have a winner, nor did Senate seats in Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada.
In the Georgia Senate race between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and former professional football player Herschel Walker, neither candidate had yet reached the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff.
In other marquee races, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman beat Republican television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania's Senate nail-biter. Republican J.D. Vance claimed victory over Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio. And in Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis cruised to victory over Charlie Crist, while Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida bested Democratic Rep. Val Demings.
One thing about the House is certain: It will have its first Gen Z member, as 25-year-old Maxwell Frost won election in Florida, taking Demings' seat.
And voters in several states weighed in on abortion, voting rights and marijuana.
Election officials in multiple states expected vote counting and certification to continue throughout the week. USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network is on the ground, monitoring what's happening across the country the day after the polls closed.
Here's what else to know about Election Day 2022:
Here's what's going on now:
Pelosi: Democrats are 'strongly outperforming expectations'
As the sun got ready to rise above the East Coast, results from the 2022 midterm elections began to disprove an anticipated “red wave” of Republican seats.
“While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic Members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations across the country,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement issued early Wednesday.
“As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast.”
Just before 6 a.m. ET, dozens of House races remained uncalled, leaving control of the chamber uncertain.
Winning candidates break new ground on Election Day
This year's midterm elections made history, as Americans elected the country's first lesbian governor, its first Gen Z House member and other ground-breaking officials.
In Maryland, Wes Moore was elected the state's first Black governor, and nationally he is the third elected Black governor.
In an election cycle with record numbers of LGBTQ candidates, the country's first lesbian governor was elected in Massachusetts, Maura Healy, while the New Hampshire voters elected the first transgender man to a state legislature.
The results so far have also seen new representation of women and younger generations, from the first female governor of Arkansas, Sarah Sanders Huckabee, to the first Gen-Z elected member of Congress, 25-year-old Maxwell Frost. Read more here.
– Savannah Kuchar
Georgia secretary of state: Brad Raffensperger wins
Republican incumbent Brad Raffensperger emerged victorious in the race for Georgia secretary of state, beating out Democratic nominee and former state Sen. Bee Nguyen.
Raffensperger held a solid lead over Nguyen in the polls throughout the race. The contest to be the state’s chief election officer, a down-ballot race that has previously garnered little attention, has gained increased importance in the wake of the 2020 election and unfounded voter fraud claims.
– Anna Kaufman
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin wins in Michigan
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich, won reelection over Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett and Libertarian candidate Leah Dailey in Michigan’s new 7th Congressional District, ending one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched House races.
Slotkin was first elected from the 8th District in 2018, when she flipped a Republican seat that President Donald Trump won in 2016, and she was one of the few Democrats to win reelection in a district that voted for Trump in 2020. A former National Security Council and CIA staffer, she opted to run this year in the newly redrawn 7th District, which is centered on Lansing and would have voted narrowly for President Joe Biden had it existed in 2020.
While Slotkin was endorsed by Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a harsh Trump critic, Barrett was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence. Barrett, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, has focused his campaign on less spending, more energy production and criticism of Slotkin's voting record. Slotkin has struck back at Barrett's refusal to say if he would have accepted the results of the 2020 election, which he has called an "unknowable thing."
– Yoori Han, Cronkite News
Source link
