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Midterms Live Updates: Race for Congress Remains Tight as a Top House Democrat Concedes [1]
['Peter Baker', 'Glenn Thrush', 'Edgar Sandoval', 'Jack Healy', 'Emily Cochrane', 'Maggie Haberman', 'Sheryl Stolberg', 'Christine Hauser', 'Enjoli Liston', 'Joe Rennison']
Date: 2022-11-09
Democrats defied historical odds in critical midterm elections as an anticipated “red wave” did not materialize, but Republicans were still poised to win one if not both houses of Congress, with potentially transformative consequences for the Biden presidency.
Both sides were anxiously watching Senate races in Nevada and Arizona, as well as a tight contest in Georgia that could be headed for a December runoff to determine control of the upper chamber, much like two years ago.
Republicans were still short of reclaiming the House. But they have an easier path to the majority than the Democrats — and they appeared on the verge of inflicting a humbling defeat on one of the opposing party’s top leaders, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, the head of the campaign committee for House Democrats. Late Wednesday morning, he conceded his race against Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th District, although The Associated Press had not declared a winner.
After staying up late watching results in the White House residence and making congratulatory phone calls, President Biden has not announced plans to speak publicly on Wednesday, although aides said it was likely he would do so. Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader hoping to become speaker, asserted confidence overnight, declaring that “it is clear we are going to take the House back.”
A Republican House, even with a smaller majority than expected, could presage two years of grinding partisan conflict focused on congressional investigations of the administration, fights over the debt ceiling and potentially government shutdowns. But the surprisingly strong showing buoyed a White House that had been bracing for a Republican rout and perhaps immediate calls for Mr. Biden to step aside for 2024.
To keep control of the Senate, Democrats need two of their endangered incumbents, Mark Kelly of Arizona and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, to hold on to their seats. But Ms. Cortez Masto was trailing with about 75 percent of the ballots counted and Mr. Kelly’s sizable early lead has shrunk as more results come in.
If only one of those two prevails, Democratic control would rest on either the last ballots in Georgia pushing Senator Raphael Warnock over the required 50 percent, or on a runoff in that race that would captivate the country.
Still, early results indicated that Republicans could end up with one of the weakest performances in decades by the out-of-power party against a first-term president’s party.
In the fight for the House, only one Democratic incumbent, Representative Elaine Luria of Virginia, had been defeated by early Wednesday. But her loss was matched by the defeat of a veteran Republican, Representative Steve Chabot, in Ohio. The G.O.P. also won two open House seats vacated by Democrats in Florida.
Republicans started the evening needing just six more seats to win the majority. With seats still in play in New York and several Western states, control of the House is anything but settled, and it could be days before the next majority is clear.
Here is what else you need to know:
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[1] Url:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/11/09/us/election-updates-midterms-results
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