At least so far during the 2022 midterms, Republicans are doing well enough – but not great.
In governors’ races, high profile Republicans have won in Florida, Texas and Georgia – but two governor’s seats were flipped to the Democrats.
The Republicans only had to flip five seats in the House of Representatives to win a majority there, and they appear to be on track to do so.
But they aren’t winning all the toss-up races, and they aren’t landing any surprise knockout blows. This isn’t shaping up to be the kind of “wave” election Americans have seen in many past midterms.
In the Senate, the results are even more unclear. Republicans have carried states in which they had the advantage, but Democrats have won the races they expected to win and picked up a crucial new seat in Pennsylvania.
How remaining tight contests – in Georgia, Nevada and Arizona are resolved – will go a long way toward defining how these midterms are ultimately viewed.
Democrat John Fetterman is projected to win the crucial Senate race in Pennsylvania, flipping a Republican-held seat.
The tattooed 6ft 8in (2m) left-wing Democrat is a Harvard graduate turned small-town mayor.
He had a commanding lead over celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania race until he suffered a stroke a few months ago that forced him to stay out of the public eye. A halting performance in a debate in the closing stages of the race saw polls narrow significantly to within the margin of error.
Earlier tonight, Democratic Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock took the stage at his election night party in Atlanta and urged his supporters to keep their spirits up.
“I just wanted to drop by, because I’m coming back tonight,” Warnock said. “We’ve got more to say.”
Election results are trickling in and show Warnock and his Republican opponent, Herschel Walker, running neck and neck.
“Georgia is showing up in such an amazing way,” Warnock said, later adding, “we always knew this race would be close.”
The outcome of the election in Georgia could influence whether Democrats continue to control the US Senate, making this race a must-watch until the end.
The fight for control of the Senate remains up in the air, with races in eight states yet to be called
Democrats also held on for victory in Senate races in New Hampshire and Washington, while Republicans survived challenges in Ohio and North Carolina
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis won re-election by a landslide 1.5 million-plus vote margin, stoking further speculation the Republican may run for president in two years’ time
Republicans also won governor’s races in Texas and Georgia against high-profile Democratic opponents
Democrats flipped two Republican-held governor’s seats in Massachusetts and Maryland while beating back challengers in Pennsylvania and New York
This is still a developing story, we will have more later from our affiliate the BBC on RTC.
