Which party will control the Senate? It boils down to three races.
The question of whether Democrats or Republicans will control the Senate will be answered in Nevada, Arizona and Georgia.
The race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Trump-backed Republican Herschel Walker in Georgia will be decided in a runoff on 6 December.
In Nevada, Democrat Chatherine Cortez Masto is trailing republican Adam Laxalt, but still has a chance of winning as more votes are tallied.
And in Arizona, it may be a while before it becomes clear whether Democrat Mark Kelly will maintain his lead over Republican Blake Masters, though things are looking promising for the former.
Democrats can keep control of the chamber by winning just two races and having vice-president Kamala Harris as a tie-breaking vote.
‘Votes still being counted’ in Nevada’s tight Senate race
Dani Anguiano in Las Vegas, Nevada, reports:
The outcome of the Senate race in Nevada, home to one of the closest contests in the country, may not be known for several days as election workers continue to process mail-in ballots.
The fate of the Senate could hinge on the race in Nevada where incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, the first Latina senator, is fighting to keep her seat against Republican Adam Laxalt, a former attorney general in the state who aided in Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Cortez Masto had an early lead on Tuesday night, but by Monday morning Laxalt was ahead with 49.9% of the vote to the senator’s 47.2% with 63.6% reporting, according to the Associated Press. Both candidates have urged patience as residents wait to hear the outcome of the race and several other close elections.
“The votes are still being counted. We know this will take time and we won’t have more election results for several days,” Cortez Masto said at an election night gathering. “I am confident in the campaign that we have built to win.”
Laxalt, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, said he was confident the results would favor him, telling supporters Tuesday night: “We are exactly where we want to be in this race.”
“When we win this race, I’m gonna support our police and fight to make our streets safe again. I will not rest until we’ve secured our southern border,” he said. “We’re in for a long night and even a few days into this week as all the votes are tabulated. We’re confident that the numbers are there and we’re gonna win this race and take back Nevada and take back America.”
Republicans inch toward House majority, but key California races are still unclear
The path to a House majority snakes through California, the most populous US state with the biggest House delegation.
Although the state overall is solidly blue, several House districts here are competitive, especially after redistricting. Some of the races we’re closely watching:
- Representative David Valadao, one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach former Trump, started off with a lead but most votes have yet to be tallied in a hard fought race against Democrat Rudy Salas. This was the second-most expensive House race in the country.
- In the central valley, Republican farmer John Duarte and Democratic assemblyman Adam Gray are running neck and neck.
- Republican congressman Mike Garcia is leading ahead of Democratic assemblywoman Christy Smith, with less than half the votes tallied.
- In southern California, Democratic star Katie Porter is narrowly leading Republican Scott Baugh, in a fierce race.
- And in a race that has been marked by especially vitriolic campaigning, Republican representative Michelle Steel has a sizable lead over Democrat Jay Chen, with less than half the votes tallied in a new, largely Asian American district.
Democrat Cindy Axne has conceded her Iowa House seat to Republican Zach Nunn, in a closely watched contest.
The results in Iowa’s third district inches Republicans closer to control of the House. Two-term congresswoman Axne was the only Democrat in the state’s delegation.
She was elected to office in 2018, and in 2020 she was one of only seven Democrats to win a district that backed Donald Trump. This year, she was running in a slightly redder district.
Nunn has served eight years in the state legislature. He has expressed support for a total abortion ban.
A senior Trump adviser, Jason Miller, said earlier he was “advising the president to hold off” announcing his 2024 presidential run “until after the Georgia race”.
Donald Trump has trailed an announcement of his third run for the Republican presidential nomination, possibly as soon as 15 November. But such thinking was reportedly based on expectations of Republican midterms success which Trump could claim on his own.
The GOP’s disappointing performance on Tuesday – the Georgia race is the runoff a month from now between Herschel Walker, Trump’s anointed Senate candidate, and the incumbent Raphael Warnock – may have put a dent in such thinking.
So might the contrastingly impressive win enjoyed by Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor who is Trump’s clear chief rival for the presidential nod, should he choose to run.
Trump has continued to target DeSantis with criticism, posting earlier on his own platform, Truth Social, that he got more votes in Florida in 2020 than the governor did this year and shouldn’t that be mentioned now?
As it happens, another possible contender in 2024, Mike Pence, has today released a lengthy extract from his new memoir, dealing with January 6.
Pence describes Trump’s behaviour towards him in some detail. He also, bizarrely, seems to blame the anti-Trump Lincoln Project for enraging Trump with a political ad, thereby fueling the anger that incited the Capitol attack.
Rick Wilson, a Lincoln Project co-founder, tells the Guardian: “It’s no secret that the Lincoln Project has lived rent-free in Donald Trump’s head since 2019. Mike Pence telling this story is one more powerful testimony to just how our ‘audience of one’ strategy unfailingly disrupts Trump world.”
Wilson also said: “Seriously, I cannot get over Mike Pence blaming the Lincoln Project for January 6. Cannot.”
Democrats in Pennsylvania are celebrating after declaring that they have won the state house.
While some votes are still being counted, Pennsylvania Democrats announced during a press conference on Wednesday that they had the 102 seats necessary to flip the state house, a feat that hasn’t occurred since 2010, reports CBS News.
Pennsylvania Democrats have had a victorious Tuesday election night, winning all three of the most competitive congressional races in the state and the contentious race for US senator between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz, reports AP.
The state’s delegation in the House will now be broken down 9-to-8, Democratic-to-Republican, AP further reports.
Nevada Republicans have criticized Biden for prematurely declaring victory for Democrats in three reelection races in the state during his press conference.
From Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Gary Martin:
.@JoeBiden declares all Nevada Democratic congressional incumbents victorious despite ongoing vote counting. “It is premature for President Biden to declare a winner in NV-01. There is still a path to victory," said GOP Mark @RobertsonforNV.
As WBNA player Brittney Griner is moved to a Russian penal colony on Wednesday, Biden spoke about his intention to bring her home during his press conference.
President Biden to @karentravers on Brittney Griner: "My intention is to get her home...I am determined to get her home and get he home safely." pic.twitter.com/3tpn47R347
