Republicans move closer to majority in U.S. House, but Senate outcome still not clear

Republicans inched closer to a narrow House majority Wednesday, while control of the Senate hinged on a few tight races in a midterm election that defied expectations of sweeping conservative victories driven by frustration over inflation and President Joe Biden's leadership.

Either party could secure a Senate majority with wins in both Nevada and Arizona where the races were too early to call. But there was a strong possibility that, for the second time in two years, the Senate majority could come down to a runoff in Georgia next month, with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker failing to earn enough votes to win outright.

In the House, Republicans on Wednesday night were within a dozen seats of the 218 needed to take control, while Democrats kept seats in districts from Virginia to Pennsylvania to Kansas and many West Coast contests were still too early to call. In a particularly symbolic victory for the GOP, Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, the House Democratic campaign chief, lost his bid for a sixth term.

Control of Congress will decide how the next two years of Biden's term play out, and whether he is able to achieve more of his agenda or will see it blocked by a new GOP majority.

Republicans are likely to launch a spate of investigations into Biden, his family and his administration if they take power, while a GOP takeover of the Senate would hobble the president's ability to appoint judges.

"Regardless of what the final tally of these elections show, and there's still some counting going on, I'm prepared to work with my Republican colleagues," Biden said Wednesday in his first public remarks since the polls closed.

"The American people have made clear, I think, that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well."

1st major election since Capitol attack

It was the first major national election since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and emotions were raw.

The recent violent assault on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband has stunned many, and federal law enforcement warned of heightened threats nationwide. Biden's party worked to hold on by the most tenuous of margins.

WATCH | Republican strategist blames 'extremism':

'GOP has to get their act together,' says conservative strategist

2 years ago

Duration 3:37

Conservative strategist Chip Felkel gives insight on the U.S. midterm elections as the Republican 'red wave' failed to materialize, something he blames on many GOP candidates leaning into 'extremism.'

Even with a slim majority, the Republicans could bring a new intensity to Capitol Hill with promises to end Biden's most ambitious plans, tighten congressional oversight and launch gruelling investigations even thepotentialimpeachment of the president.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is in line to become Speaker if his party takes control, vowed to win the majority as he addressed a crowd of supporters well past midnight in Washington.

"We are expanding this party," McCarthy said, calling out the races won so far. "The American people are ready for a majority that will offer a new direction that will put America back on track."

But the mood among Republicans was tense, as Democrats deliveredsurprising resultsin places Republicans expected to claim as their own.

"While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast."

All 435 seats in the House and one-third of the Senate were being decided.If Republican newcomers help the party seize control of the House, and possibly the Senate, the outcome will pose new challenges for Congress's ability to govern especially if margins are tight.

Republicans approaching House majority

In the race for the House, battleground Virginia provided a snapshot.

Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a former navy helicopter pilot, defeated Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, a former navy commander who had touted her work on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

But elsewhere, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger prevailed over Trump-backed Yesli Vega in a suburban Virginia district Republicans hoped to flip. And Democrats held House seats in Rhode Island, Ohio, Kansas and New Hampshire that Republicans wanted, and they flipped some including a suburban Illinois district from Republicans.

Still, Republicans were slowly amassing some of the five seats needed to reach a 218-seat House majority.

They picked up a Nashville-area seat long held by Democrats. And in a dramatic example of the difficult political environment for Democrats, the party's House campaign chairman, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, lost his race against Republican state legislator Mike Lawler in New York's Hudson Valley.

"I'm going to do this the right way, and the right thing to do is to say the other guy won, to wish him well and pledge my support, and that's what I'm doing," Maloney said at a newsconference Wednesday shortly before The Associated Press called the race.

At the same time, Maloney expressed optimism about the Democratic results overall: "Last night, House Democrats stood our ground," he said.

Republicans had sought to make inroads in liberal New England but were shut out of House contests, with one Maine race still set to be determined by ranked choice voting.

Control of the Senate will come down to races in Georgia, Nevada and Arizona that were still too close to call, with Democrats defending seats in all of those.

The potential exists for Senate control to be determined by a run-off on Dec. 6 in Georgia. The Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon that bothDemocrat Raphael WarnockandRepublican Herschel Walker would advance to the run-off in the state, after neither reached the general election majority required under state law.

On midday Wednesday, Republican Ron Johnson officially retained his seat in Wisconsin. While Alaska's race is still undetermined, the two top candidates are Republican incumbent Lisa Murkowski and Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka.

In the most heartening news for theDemocratic Party,John Fetterman flipped a Senate seat in Pennsylvania that is key to the party's hopes of maintaining control of the chamber. He replaces retiring Republican Pat Toomey.

The AP called the race for Fetterman, a Democrat who was in a tight contest with television personality Mehmet Oz, early Wednesday morning. In a victory speech before the race call, Fetterman nodded to the stroke he suffered earlier this year: "Health care is a fundamental right and it saved my life, and it should all be there for you if you ever need it," he said.

WATCH | Fetterman overcomes Oz:

John Fetterman beats Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania senate race

2 years ago

Duration 2:56

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democrat, has won a tight race against Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity doctor who was endorsed by Donald Trump for Pennsylvanias open Senate seat.

In another key vacancy in Ohio, Hillbilly Elegy author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance defeated Democratic congressman Tim Ryan to retain the Republican seat from predecessor Rob Portman.

But for the most part in the Senate, it was a case of incumbents holding off challenges. Republican Marco Rubio fended off former congresswoman Val Demings in Florida, while Democrat Maggie Hassan set aside Trump-backed Don Bolduc in New Hampshire, and Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet retained his seat over Republican Joe O'Dea, who was viewed as a formidable challenger in the liberal state due to his support for abortion rights.

History made in governor races

Democrats also were successful in governors' races, winning in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania battlegrounds critical to Biden's 2020 win over Trump. But Republicans held on to governors' mansions in Florida, Texas and Georgia, another battleground state Biden narrowly won two years ago.

The state races in Arizona were being closely watched. Republican candidate Kari Lake, a former local television anchor, has denied the results of the 2020 election for Biden, as has the party's secretary of state candidate, Mark Finchem. Katie Hobbs, who opted not to debate Lake in the campaign, was the Democratic candidate in the race to replace current governor Doug Ducey.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro beat Republican Doug Mastriano to keep the governorship of a key presidential battleground state blue. Shapiro's victory rebuffed an election denier who some feared would not certify a Democratic presidential win in the state in 2024.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, two future possible Republican presidential contenders, beat back Democratic challengers to win re-election in the nation's two largest red states. For Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who lost to Abbott, it was his third failed campaign since 2018.

DeSantis won his second term despite himbeing viewed as a potential leading Republicanprimary alternative to Trump should the governor jump into the 2024 White House race, as is widely expected.

Arkansas, Massachusetts and Maryland also saw historic firsts: Democrat Maura Healey became the first woman elected as Massachusetts governor, and the first openly lesbian governor of any state,and DemocratWes Moore became the first Black governor of Maryland.

Arkansas Republican Sarah HuckabeeSanders and New York Democrat Kathy Hochul became the first elected female governors in their respective states.

No widespread problems with ballots, long lines or voter intimidation were reported throughout voting day, though there were hiccups in some places, which is typical on any election day.