Midterms 2022: What we know so far
Only one word is fit to sum up the results from the Senate, House and governorship races that have come in thus far: surprise. The 8 November midterm elections were expected to be rough for Joe Biden’s allies, potentially costing them control of one or both chambers of Congress. Instead, Democrats are showing surprising strength, holding on to Senate seats and beating back Republican challengers in several crucial House races. Full results are not in yet, and when the dust settles, the GOP may well have eked out the majorities they were expected to have. But it’s plain tonight has not gone as expected for many Republicans across the country – and may end up defying the historical trend of voters using the midterm elections to punish the party in the White House:
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Two of three Virginia Democrats in districts considered bellwethers for the national mood have won reelection, in what was an early sign of good news for Democrats.
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Democrat Josh Shapiro bested 2020 election denier Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania’s governorship race.
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John Fetterman declared victory in his race for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat. The Associated Press has not yet called the race.
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Maryland elected the first Black governor in its history, Democrat Wes Moore.
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Florida’s voters tilted further towards Republicans, reelecting firebrand governor Ron DeSantis and senator Marco Rubio.
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From Washington to New York, Democrats defied Republicans’ rosy predictions that they’d fall apart this year, even in their traditional strongholds.
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JD Vance won the Republican Senate race in Ohio, dashing Democrats’ hopes of picking up another seat in the chamber.
Key events
The Guardian’s Erum Salam reflects on a highly polarized election, with varied results, in Texas:
In a predictable but still disappointing loss for Democrats in Texas, Republican incumbent Greg Abbott defeated his Democratic rival, Beto O’Rourke, to win a third term as governor.
Attorney general Ken Paxton, who denied the result of the 2020 presidential election, pushed false conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud, and remains embroiled in legal trouble, also won a third term, defeating Democrat Rochelle Garza.
Another tight race in south Texas’s newly drawn congressional district 15, where Latino voters are key, seems likely to lean Republican. While not officially called yet, progressive Michelle Vallejo seems poised to lose to Trump-backed Monica De La Cruz.
But Democrats can count victories in other races across the state.
Progressive Greg Casar, who earned an endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders, won his House race in district 35, which stretches from eastern San Antonio to Austin.
Conservative Democrat Henry Cuellar will be holding onto his house seat in south Texas’s district 28.
District 34 is back to being blue after far-right conspiracy theorist Mayra Flores, who made her mark as the first female Mexican-born member of the House, lost the seat she won in a June special election.
“Early voting came in already. Election day numbers are also coming in as well. We’re still pending thousands of votes, but it doesn’t look our way,” she said.
On Twitter she chastised Republican and independent voters she believed stayed home.
The RED WAVE did not happen. Republicans and Independents stayed home. DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE RESULTS IF YOU DID NOT DO YOUR PART!
— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores2022) November 9, 2022
Some votes are still being counted,particularly in the heavily populated Harris county, where polls opened late.
A district judge ordered all 800 voting locations in the county to stay open for one more hour until 8pm CT, but the order was blocked by the state’s highest civil court. It remains unclear if the provisional ballots cast in that extra hour will be thrown out.
Perhaps the greatest loss tonight in Texas are voting rights.
Poppy Noor
In another victory Tuesday for abortion rights advocates, campaigners declared victory on proposal three – the ballot initiative looking to enshrine a constitutional right to the procedure in Michigan.
It follows similar, earlier victories for abortion rights measures in California and Vermont.
A win means Michiganders will now escape a 1931 abortion ban that was on the books, although votes are still being counted.
If proposal three does pass, Michigan will become the first to fight off a pre-existing abortion ban with a ballot proposal, creating a roadmap for campaigners across the country, during an election cycle in which voters seem to be coming out in full force for abortion rights.
“Proposal 3’s passage marks an historic victory for abortion access in our state and in our country – and Michigan has paved the way for future efforts to restore the rights and protections of Roe v Wade nationwide,” Darci McConnell, communication director for Reproductive Freedom For All, wrote in a statement, announcing the news after it was called by locally ABC and NBC.
New York’s Democratic governor Kathy Hochul has won her election for a full term in office, the Associated Press reports.
A former lieutenant governor, Hochul took over leadership of the state last year after Andrew Cuomo resigned following accusations of sexual misconduct. She defeated Republican Lee Zeldin in the battle for a full term.
Things appear to be breaking Democrats’ direction in Wisconsin, a deeply polarized state that’s among the most crucial of battlegrounds in presidential elections.
The Associated Press has not called the race yet, but CNN projects that Democratic governor Tony Evers has won a second term in office:
Tony Evers, the incumbent Dem gov in Wisconsin, wins, CNN projects. Dem gov candidates in AZ, MI, NV and Kansas are currently leading their races
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 9, 2022
Republicans dominate the state legislature but have seen many of their proposals vetoed by Evers. They had hoped to achieve a supermajority in yesterday’s elections that would allow them to blunt his powers, but the Wisconsin State Journal reports that may not happen.
From Dani Anguiano in Las Vegas, Nevada:
A judge in Nevada ruled against a request from Senator Catherine Cortez Masto to keep some polls open later after some locations ran out of paper leading to long lines and other delays.
Cortez Masto, who is facing a tough re-election bid against Republican Adam Laxalt, and the Democratic senatorial campaign committee, had asked that some sites stay open until 9pm PT.
Polling places closed at 7pm local time with the exception of voters already in line.
Here’s more from the @CortezMasto and DSCC lawsuit to keep polls open in Clark County.
Cites delays, long lines and at least 8 polling locations running out of paper, something that takes “up to two hours” to replace pic.twitter.com/3jUthAaJjZ
— Jacob Solis (@jacobsolisnv) November 9, 2022
Maanvi Singh
House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Kevin McCarthy, the Republican minority leader keen to seize the gavel from her, have both been re-elected to Congress from California, the Associated Press projects.
From the same state, Democratic representatives including Adam Schiff, Ted Lieu, Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee have also won re-election.
McCarthy is likely to become speaker if Republicans, as expected, go on to win control of the chamber after Tuesday’s results are tallied.
Pelosi, 82, who spoke emotionally on Monday about the violent attack on her husband Paul at their California home last month, said the incident would affect her decision about whether to retire if Democrats lose the House.
Fetterman: Victory ‘for every community across Pennsylvania’
John Fetterman has given a victory speech to supporters gathered in Pittsburgh.
The newly elected Democratic senator for Pennsylvania, who is recovering from a stroke, thanked his family and campaign team.
He declared his victory was “for everyone who’s ever been gotten knocked down that ever got back up; for the future of every community all across Pennsylvania; for every small town, or person that ever felt left behind”.
Fetterman was emotional as he spoke, his supporters chanting their approval of his downing of Donald Trump’s hand-picked Republican opponent, celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz, to flip the seat for his party.
“I’m proud of what we ran on. Protecting a woman’s right to choose; raising our minimum wage; fighting [for] the union way of life. Healthcare is a fundamental human right. It saved my life, and it should all be there for you”.
Democrat Whitmer wins reelection in Michigan governor’s race
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer has won reelection as Michigan’s governor, the Associated Press reports, beating Republican challenger Tudor Dixon.
Whitmer was the target of intense Republican attacks for her enforcement of regulations intended to curb Covid-19 after it broke out in 2020, and the GOP hoped to oust her from office in the perennial battleground state.
CNN has declared John Fetterman the victor in Pennsylvania’s Senate race:
CNN projection: John Fetterman wins PA. A Dem pickup. Now GOP has to win Nevada and Georgia — which looks likely to go to a December runoff — to take back majority. In Arizona, Mark Kelly is up by 17 points with 52 percent reporting
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 9, 2022
So has Fox News:
The Associated Press, whose race calls The Guardian considers definitive, still has not weighed in.
NBC was the first network to call the contest in the Democratic candidate’s favor. Here was the scene when the crowd at Fetterman’s election night party heard the news, as recorded by The Guardian’s Oliver Laughland:
Midterms 2022: What we know so far
Only one word is fit to sum up the results from the Senate, House and governorship races that have come in thus far: surprise. The 8 November midterm elections were expected to be rough for Joe Biden’s allies, potentially costing them control of one or both chambers of Congress. Instead, Democrats are showing surprising strength, holding on to Senate seats and beating back Republican challengers in several crucial House races. Full results are not in yet, and when the dust settles, the GOP may well have eked out the majorities they were expected to have. But it’s plain tonight has not gone as expected for many Republicans across the country – and may end up defying the historical trend of voters using the midterm elections to punish the party in the White House:
-
Two of three Virginia Democrats in districts considered bellwethers for the national mood have won reelection, in what was an early sign of good news for Democrats.
-
Democrat Josh Shapiro bested 2020 election denier Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania’s governorship race.
-
John Fetterman declared victory in his race for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat. The Associated Press has not yet called the race.
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Maryland elected the first Black governor in its history, Democrat Wes Moore.
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Florida’s voters tilted further towards Republicans, reelecting firebrand governor Ron DeSantis and senator Marco Rubio.
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From Washington to New York, Democrats defied Republicans’ rosy predictions that they’d fall apart this year, even in their traditional strongholds.
-
JD Vance won the Republican Senate race in Ohio, dashing Democrats’ hopes of picking up another seat in the chamber.
The Associated Press still has not called the Pennsylvania Senate race. But Democratic candidate John Fetterman has declared victory:
It’s official. I will be the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.
We bet on the people of Pennsylvania – and you didn’t let us down
And I won’t let you down. Thank you.
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) November 9, 2022
From Rachel Leingang in Phoenix, Arizona:
A heavy police presence surrounded the central tabulation building in Phoenix on Tuesday night to deter the kinds of activity seen outside the center in 2020, when Donald Trump supporters protested outside and threatened election workers.
On Tuesday night, deputies from the Maricopa county sheriff’s office dotted the building’s parking lot and perimeter. Some officers rode horses around the barriers.
Outside the Maricopa County Tabulation Center where ballots are being processed. Horses in protest gear, about six protesters outside, lots of press pic.twitter.com/TCBJEbxf4S
— Tess Owen (@misstessowen) November 9, 2022
Since 2020, election workers in Maricopa county have faced threats for doing their jobs. In response, the county has taken precautions to protect them. The tabulation center now has a permanent fence around its core, and a temporary fence lining the surrounding parking lot.
In 2020, the site became the hub of conspiracy theorists including Alex Jones, who came to town as votes were being counted, yelling through a megaphone to stop the count, and chanting to count the votes at other times.
Shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday, however, there were few signs of protest and only a small number of onlookers outside the fences.
NBC News projects that Democrat John Fetterman has won the race for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat, giving the party their first pickup of the evening in that chamber:
The Associated Press has not called the race. If confirmed, it could add to the Democrats’ majority in the Senate, where the party currently has the bare minimum of 50 seats needed for control. It could also offset losses the Democrats may suffer elsewhere, if incumbent senators in states like Nevada or Arizona lose reelection.
Georgia’s Republican governor Kemp wins second term over Abrams
Voters in Georgia reelected Republican Brian Kemp to serve as governor, the Associated Press reports, handing a victory to a leader who defied Donald Trump’s attempts to meddle in his state’s election results two years ago.
His Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams conceded earlier tonight:
Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams conceded to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday in a rematch of their 2018 race.
“I may no longer be seeking the office of governor, but I will never stop doing everything in my power to ensure the people of Georgia have a voice,” she said. pic.twitter.com/nzS1TnWZzE
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 9, 2022
This year’s race was a rematch of 2018, when Kemp beat Abrams and won his first term in office.
From Gabrielle Canon in Oakland:
California voters were on track to overwhelmingly pass a measure to enshrine the right to an abortion and contraception into the state’s constitution, making it the second state to do so on Tuesday.
Proposition 1 was positioned as a direct response to the US Supreme Court decision issued earlier this year to reverse the 1973 Roe v Wade precedent and overturn decades of established access.
Californians are clearly committed to ensuring the same can’t happen in their home state and that abortion won’t be impacted even if the legislative tides shift. Their decisiveness on the issue will also help secure the state’s reputation as a haven for reproductive care just as restrictions – and political divisions – deepen across the country.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who won reelection with a large majority in a race called just minutes after California polls closed, joined in the celebrations at a Prop 1 rally.
“Governor Newsom made it clear that he wants California to be visible as a haven for people seeking reproductive healthcare and Proposition 1 is part of that,” said constitutional law professor Cary Franklin, faculty director of the Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy at the University of California Los Angeles.
“It will get media attention and people will be made more aware that California is a place they can go. People who are desperate and in need can come here and get the care they need.”
Gavin Newsom speaking now at Proposition 1 rally, which is poised to pass by a huge margin to enshrine right to abortion in California constitution:
“We affirmed we are a true freedom state.”
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) November 9, 2022
The measure had been expected to easily pass, and analysts said support for reproductive rights could draw even more women and young people to the polls, which could play positively for Democrats in California’s conservative pockets.
“There is no ‘no’ campaign. I assume that’s because the folks who might have financed it decided it would be a terrible waste of money and they’d rather put their money elsewhere,” Bob Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California said.
Earlier on Tuesday, voters in Vermont voted to protect abortion rights in the state’s constitution.
Chris McGreal
In one of the most important contests in Ohio, conservative Republicans have once again got a grip on the state’s supreme court after winning the chief justice post and two other seats.
The victories come at a crucial time, as the court is expected to decide whether to uphold a law barring abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy.
Republicans technically already control the court, holding four of the seven seats. But the outgoing chief justice, Maureen O’Connor, has sided with Democrats in some politically sensitive cases, including over gerrymandering.
O’Conner will be replaced by Sharon Kennedy, who already sits on the court but won election to the chief justice post. Kennedy made clear her commitment to conservative positions during the campaign.
“It is morning again at the Ohio supreme court,” she said in her victory speech, echoing Ronald Reagan when he won the White House.
The new state supreme court is expected to decide whether to let stand the state’s ban on most abortions which came into effect after Roe v Wade was overturned by the US supreme court. A lower state court blocked the measure last month. Like the other Republican judges on the Ohio supreme court, Kennedy has said there is no right to an abortion.
Two other Republican judges were reelected. But because Kennedy has been elevated to chief justice, Ohio’s Republican governor gets to appoint a judge to replace her.
From Maanvi Singh in Oakland, California:
Democrat Alex Padilla has become the first Latino elected to represent California in the US Senate.
The Associated Press called the race just minutes after polls closed, with Padilla heavily favored to win. He was appointed to the post in 2021, to fill the seat formerly held by Kamala Harris.
Voters have chosen Padilla, 49, to complete Harris’ term through January, and to serve a subsequent six-year term. With votes still being tallied, he is expected to lead Republican Mark Meuser by a sizable margin.
Padilla was favored to win to such an extent that he didn’t run any campaign ads. He has said he’ll prioritize climate action, immigration reform and reproductive freedom.
He is the first Latino senator to represent a state in which 40% of residents are of that ethnicity.
In Detroit, the Guardian’s Sam Levine reports the Democratic secretary of state has claimed a reelection victory against a challenger who denied the 2020 election:
“Well, well, well democracy has prevailed,” Michigan secretary of state Jocelyn Benson said as she took the stage here at the Democratic election night party. She declared victory in her race to serve a second-term as Michigan’s top election official over Kristina Karamo, a community college professor who rose to prominence by questioning the 2020 election results.
“Today Michigan voters showed the world that they will vote for truth over lies, facts over conspiracy theories, real results over empty promises,” Benson said.
The race was closely watched because it will determine who oversees voting in Michigan, a key battleground state. Karamo has Donald Trump’s backing, while Benson vigorously defended the election results.
Secretaries of state, long overlooked as inconsequential races, have increasingly become closely-watched since Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In many places, secretaries of state are the key election official, charged with overseeing how votes are cast and counted.
Election deniers are not having a good night so far. Doug Mastriano, another far-right candidate who sought to overturn the 2020 election results, lost his bid to be Pennsylvania’s governor.
