Live Coverage: Georgia official says ‘safe to say’ there will be Senate runoff

Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa) is projected to be defeated by Republican state Sen. Zach Nunn, flipping a seat that GOP leaders had seen as among their best pickup opportunities of the cycle.

The Associated Press called the race at 3:25 p.m. Wednesday.

Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District includes the heavily Democratic Des Moines, but it wasn’t enough to insulate Axne from the economic anxieties — particularly relating to inflation — that were on the top of voters’ minds heading into the polls.

Nunn, like Republicans nationwide, had made that issue central to his campaign pitch, accusing President Biden and the Democrats of exacerbating inflationary trends with an influx of new federal spending, including legislation responding to the COVID-19 pandemic that Biden enacted in his first weeks in office.

Nunn said he would fight inflation by cutting spending and slashing taxes — two popular ideas in the right-leaning district, although economists of all stripes have warned that the latter will only make inflation worse.

— Mike Lillis

Biden congratulates Republican Ohio governor on win

President Biden congratulated Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) on his reelection victory in a final round of calls he made to winners from the midterm elections.

The White House said Biden spoke with and congratulated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D), Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Rep.-elect Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).

He also called a few Democratic candidates who lost, including Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.) and Rep. Val Demings (Fla.). He called Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly (Ariz.) and Raphael Warnock (Ga.), whose races have not yet been called, as well.

Biden and DeWine have had policy disagreements and DeWine took out ads to criticize Biden’s policies, but they have found areas of common ground.

Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, a $280 billion package designed to boost the domestic semiconductor industry, was key to the semiconductor company Intel Corp. agreeing to build a facility outside Columbus, The Associated Press reported. 

— Jared Gans

Progressive Democrat Summer Lee won election to the House on Tuesday, becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania.

For Lee, it’s the second time she’s made history. Four years ago, Lee became the first African American woman from the region elected to the state House in Harrisburg. 

“This was a movement that was about what it looks like when we prioritize the most marginalized and really fight for what a real working-class movement can look like in this country,” Lee said at her election night party in downtown Pittsburgh.

Read more here.

— Cheyanne Daniels

Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.), who was the Democrats’ biggest Republican target in the Senate, was projected to defeat Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) and win reelection to a third term. 

NBC News and CNN both called the race for Johnson.

Johnson was viewed as the Democrats’ best chance of defeating a Senate Republican incumbent this cycle after President Biden won the state in 2020 by 20,000 votes, or less than a percentage point.  

Read more here.

— Alexander Bolton

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters at the Capitol Wednesday morning that he is “feeling good” after Democrats won retiring Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R) seat in Pennsylvania, giving them a better chance of keeping their Senate majority.  

Schumer kept his remarks brief and stopped well short of celebrating after Senate Democrats exceeded expectations on Election Night by winning in Pennsylvania despite Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s (D) shaky debate performance and tens of millions of dollars in Republican spending on attack ads.

As things now stand, Democrats control 48 Senate seats and Republicans control 49.

Democrats could keep control of the majority in an evenly-divided Senate as Vice President Kamala Harris has the power to cast tie-breaking votes.

While the win in Pennsylvania makes it more likely that Schumer will serve another term as majority leader, the battle for control of the Senate is still far from decided with ballots in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada still being counted. 

— Alexander Bolton

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (N.Y.), the head of House Democrats’ campaign arm, conceded his race on Wednesday against state Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R), a major blow to the party and a stunning defeat for the man charged with propelling other House Democrats to victory.

William F.B. O’Reilly, a spokesperson for Lawler’s campaign confirmed in a tweet that Maloney had “just called to graciously concede.” Lawler’s win in New York’s 17th Congressional District marks the first general election defeat for a campaign chair of either party since 1980.

Once projected to sail to victory, Maloney, who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, increasingly faced a competitive race as GOP operatives dedicated millions of dollars to support Lawler and topple Maloney, one of Democrats’ highest-profile vulnerable lawmakers.

Read more here.

— Caroline Vakil and Zach Schonfeld

Hillary Clinton took a victory lap on Wednesday morning as midterm election results showed Democrats performing better than expected in the House and a possible pathway toward retaining their Senate majority.

“It turns out women enjoy having human rights, and we vote,” Clinton tweeted.

Democrats celebrated candidate John Fetterman’s win against Republican Mehmet Oz for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, which was seen as their best pickup opportunity in the upper chamber. 

Democrats were bracing for a red wave in the House, but no calls had have been made as of Wednesday morning showing Republicans prevailing in the majority of the lower chamber’s seats.

Republicans are still likely to flip the House, but Democrats were able to defend key toss ups in places like Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District and Texas’ 34th Congressional District, showing what will likely be a closer-than-expected margin between the two parties.

-Caroline Vakil

Republican Mehmet Oz has called Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) to concede the Senate race, according to Fetterman’s campaign.

Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s communications director, tweeted that Oz called Fetterman at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday after most major news outlets called the race for Fetterman early Wednesday morning.

Polls showed the race as one the closest Senate contests in the country, and Republicans had hoped that Oz’s victory could deny a Democratic pickup opportunity and help the GOP seal a majority in the body.

— Jared Gans

Kentucky voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would have amended the constitution to keep abortion illegal.

Abortion is already illegal in the state after Kentucky enacted a “trigger law” that took effect once the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, so the passage of the amendment stands in contrast to state law and could help abortion rights advocates overturn the ban. 

— Nathaniel Weixel

Rob Menendez Jr., the son of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), will be joining his father in Congress after being elected to a House seat in New Jersey Tuesday.

Rob Menendez Jr. was easily elected to the seat representing New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District, replacing the retiring Rep. Albio Sires (D), who has held the seat since 2006.

Various other examples of parents and children serving in Congress together have occurred throughout American history.

For example, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) served in the House while his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), served in the upper chamber.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was also born while her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., represented Maryland in the House, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R) represents Wyoming’s at-large district, as did her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, throughout most of the 1980s.

— Jared Gans

Nebraska voters approved an initiative on Tuesday to amend the state’s constitution to require voters to present valid photo IDs in future elections.

Nebraska’s legislature unsuccessfully attempted to pass legislation on voter ID several times in the past, according to The Associated Press.

The initiative comes amid ongoing accusations of fraud in the 2020 election, spurred by former President Trump. While Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) has denied claims that there was widespread voter fraud in the state in 2020, both he and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) voiced support for the ballot initiative.

A total of 14 states do not have voter ID requirements after the Nebraska vote.

— Julia Shapero

Tipped workers in Washington, D.C., are set to receive a pay increase after voters approved an initiative to raise their minimum wage to be in line with untipped workers.

D.C. voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 82 with almost 75 percent in favor. The measure will eliminate the tipped wage system that saw tipped workers making as low as $5.35 per hour before tips.

Under the existing system, tipped workers like restaurant servers make their hourly wage and rely on tips for the rest of their wage. If their tips are not enough for their income to reach equivalent to the minimum wage of $16.10 per hour, the employer is responsible for making up the difference.

With the measure passed, tipped workers will be required to receive $16.10 per hour as well as tips by 2027 as the system is phased out.

The measure previously passed in 2018, but the D.C. Council overturned the referendum. The council appears unlikely to overturn it again as the initiative has gained popularity in the past four years and passed by a much larger margin this year than in 2018.

Some waiters and bartenders oppose the measure, however, since they currently make considerably above the minimum wage through tips and worry that their tips would decrease if owners raise prices to accommodate for the higher costs.

— Jared Gans

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A voting access advocate on Wednesday said the midterm elections were “pretty calm” despite some isolated incidents of technical or logistical issues.

“This was a pretty calm, normal election,” Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections for the nonpartisan voting access advocacy group Common Cause, told The Associated Press.

“We had isolated incidents of standard election administration issues but nothing widespread of particularly concerning,” Albert continued.

AP reported that former President Trump and some other Republicans looked to seize on various issues as evidence that something suspicious was happening, but they were routine.

Tabulators at about 20 percent of voting locations in Maricopa County, Ariz., the most populous in the state, experienced an issue where they were not processing certain ballots. Election officials directed voters at these locations to place their ballots in a secure box if the tabulator was not working to be counted Tuesday night.

Supply shortages and equipment problems occurred at certain polling locations in Houston, but workers quickly resolved the issues, AP reported.

Election officials in Illinois believe a cyber attack affected voting machines in Champaign County, but no data was compromised, and they said the election is secure.

— Jared Gans

A Georgia election official said early Wednesday morning that it is “safe to say” there will be a Senate runoff election in the state.

“While county officials are still doing the detailed work on counting the votes, we feel it is safe to say there will be a runoff for the US Senate here in Georgia slated for December 6,” Gabriel Sterling, the Georgia secretary of state’s chief operating officer, said on Twitter.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) held a slim lead over Republican challenger Herschel Walker with about 98 percent of the vote counted as of Wednesday morning. 

However, Warnock had not breached the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff in the Peach State, meaning the two will likely face off once again on Dec. 6. The AP has yet to officially call the race.

— Julia Shapero

Voters in three states approved ballot measures Tuesday to prohibit slavery as a punishment for crimes in their states’ constitutions. 

The approved measures in Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont are victories for advocates looking for states to revise language in their constitutions that allow forced labor in the criminal justice system. 

A measure to ban slavery as a punishment for those convicted of a crime was also leading in Oregon, but the vote was considered too early to call as of Wednesday morning. 

Voters in Louisiana, meanwhile, rejected a ballot measure to ban involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime, with about 60 percent voting against it. 

— Jared Gans

The most populous county in Arizona will reveal more midterm election results Wednesday night.

The Maricopa County Elections Department tweeted early Wednesday morning that Election Day ballots from all 223 election sites in the county had been reported. Department staff were preparing tens of thousands of early ballots dropped off at polling locations for their signatures to be verified.

The results will be posted on the county’s website.

The results from Maricopa County, which includes the state capital of Phoenix, could be key in the highly competitive Senate and governor’s races in the state.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) led Republican Blake Masters by about 6 points, while Democrat Katie Hobbs narrowly led Republican Kari Lake by less than 2 points in the governor’s race, as of 6 a.m. on Wednesday

Tabulators at about 20 percent of voting locations in the county experienced an issue Tuesday in processing the votes, but election officials said voters could place their ballots in a secure box to be counted Tuesday evening.

— Jared Gans

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) was projected to win reelection to her House seat representing Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press.

A moderate Democrat, Slotkin clinched the win over Republican Tom Barrett in one of a handful of districts that former President Trump and a Democratic House candidate won in 2020. She narrowly won her seat by a few points in her first election in 2018 and her 2020 reelection bid.

Slotkin emphasized working in the CIA under Democratic and Republican administrations during her campaign.

Recently, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a vocal opponent of Trump, campaigned for Slotkin.

— Jared Gans

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) early Wednesday said Democrats “have a lot to be proud of,” but noted that several ballots still need to be counted to call key races.

Tim Persico, the executive director of the DCCC, also shot back at Republican predictions of a red wave taking hold this cycle, noting that the media and GOP lawmakers “have conceded this election is far from it.”

“For two years, Republicans bragged about a GOP ‘red wave,’ but already the media and Republican members of Congress have conceded this election is far from it. We’ve got a long way to go, but win or lose, our candidates, our members, and our teams all have a lot to be proud of – they fought hard, even when everyone counted them out,” Persico said in a statement.

“Every eligible ballot cast must be counted – and we await the results along with the rest of the Democratic coalition that participated in this election and made their voices heard,” he added.

Democrats secured wins in a number of competitive House races on Tuesday, fending off the belief among Republicans that they would lead a red wave. Some GOP members of Congress — including Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mayra Flores (Texas) concluded that such an outcome has not occurred.

But Persico’s comments come as Democrats and Republicans await the results of the race in New York’s 17th congressional district, where DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney (D) is facing a competitive challenge from New York Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R).

Maloney trailed Lawler by 1.2 percentage points at 3 a.m. ET, but the Democrat’s campaign spokesperson told The Hill “this race is too close to call with far more votes outstanding in Westchester than the margin in the race.”

— Mychael Schnell

Attorney Hillary Scholten (D) was projected to win Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District, flipping the district in a key victory for the party.

The Associated Press called the race at 2:10 a.m.

House Democrats’ campaign arm had boosted Trump-backed Republican John Gibbs in his successful primary challenge to Rep. Peter Meijer (R-Mich.), a moderate who voted to impeach the former president.

That strategy raised controversy among Democrats who believed the party was aiding a potentially successful general election campaign by Gibbs, who has endorsed Trump’s unfounded claims of mass electoral fraud in the 2020 election.

But those criticisms did not bear fruit on Tuesday, with Scholten now poised to represent the district that includes Grand Rapids and other parts of West Michigan.

— Zach Schonfeld

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) projected confidence early Wednesday in the Georgia Senate race against Republican Herschel Walker as votes were still being tallied.

“We are not sure if this journey is over tonight, or if there’s still a little work yet to do, but here’s what we do know – we know that when they’re finished counting the votes from today’s election that we are going to have received more votes than my opponent,” the incumbent told his supporters.

“I understand that at this late hour you may be a little tired, I may be a little tired, but now, but whether it’s later tonight, or tomorrow, or four weeks from now, we will hear from the people of Georgia. We will hear from the people who have given me the great honor of my life representing you in the United States Senate, and we will move forward together,” he added later.

Republicans saw Georgia’s Senate seat as one of their best pickup opportunities in the upper chamber though Walker was at times plagued with negative headlines and scandals that threatened to disrupt his competitiveness in the election. The state will play a crucial role in whether Democrats retain their majority in the Senate.

— Caroline Vakil

Incumbent Rep. Frank Mrvan (D) was projected to win a second term representing Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, relieving concerns within the party that the historically blue district might flip to the GOP.

The Associated Press called the race shortly after 2 a.m.

The district has elected Democrats since 1928, but election handicappers projected a closer race this year after Air Force veteran Jennifer Ruth-Green (R) posted strong fundraising numbers and regularly appeared on Fox News.

— Zach Schonfeld

Sen.-elect John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said early Wednesday morning that he’s “humbled” after he won the Pennsylvania Senate race against Republican Mehmet Oz.

“I’m just so proud of the race that we ran,” Fetterman said early in his acceptance speech. “This campaign has always been about fighting for everyone’s who’s ever been got knocked down that ever got back up.”

“This race is for the future of every community all across Pennsylvania, for every small town or person that ever felt left behind, for every job that was ever been lost, for every [factory] that was ever closed, for every person that works hard but never got ahead – I’m proud of what we ran on,” he added.

The Pennsylvania Senate race was considered Democrats’ best pickup opportunity in the Senate after Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) announced he would not be seeking another term.

Though Republicans believed Fetterman’s health, after the candidate suffered a stroke in May, raised questions about his electability, voters indicated those concerns were not enough to vote for his opponent. 

Neither did their belief that issues like inflation and crime would be seen as an indictment for Democrats in the race.

— Caroline Vakil

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the likely speaker if the Republicans take control of the House, is projected to win reelection in his Bakersfield-area district.

The Associated Press called the race early Wednesday morning.

McCarthy’s win over Democratic challenger Marissa Wood was expected in the solidly Republican district.

—Emily Brooks

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) briefly spoke to supporters on Tuesday night as he remains in a tight contest with Republican Herschel Walker.

“We always knew that this race would be close,” Warnock said. “And so, that’s where we are. So y’all just hang in there. I’m feeling good.”

The Georgia Senate race — long seen as one of the most crucial contests for control of the upper chamber — remains too close to call, with Warnock leading Walker by about 1 percentage point, or roughly 37,500 votes, as of 1:30 a.m.

But even if Warnock maintains his current lead, the race could plausibly head to a runoff on Dec. 6. Under Georgia state law, a candidate must receive a majority of votes to win Tuesday’s contest.

Libertarian Chase Oliver has garnered roughly 2 percent of the vote reported so far, meaning despite Warnock’s slight lead, the Georgia Democrat remains slightly below the needed threshold at 49.5 percent of the vote.

“If you can hang in here for just a little while longer, we’ll come back and say some more,” Warnock told supporters. “But in the meantime, I’m going to say to you what I say to my church every Sunday. Keep the faith and keep looking up.”

— Zach Schonfeld

Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake spoke to supporters early Wednesday morning as her race remained too close to call, expressing optimism while also railing against the state’s election officials.

Lake repeatedly called state election officials “incompetent” during her speech, referencing tabulation malfunctions in the state’s most populous county that led to an emergency lawsuit on Tuesday to extend voting hours.

County election officials and a state judge said they haven’t seen evidence that anyone was denied an opportunity to cast a ballot or have it fairly counted, but conspiracy theories quickly spread online echoing unfounded claims of fraud in 2020.

“I kind of feel like it’s Groundhog Day,” Lake said. “We had Nov. 3, 2020, that was called incompetency 101. Then we had Aug. 2, 2022, incompetency in elections 202, and now we’re at incompetency in elections 303. We need honest elections and we’re going to work to bring them to you Arizona, I assure you. The system we have right now does not work.”

Lake has so far declined to say she will accept the results of the election if she loses.

But the Arizona Republican and former television news anchor expressed confidence she would ultimately be declared the winner.

As of 1 a.m., Lake’s Democratic opponent, Katie Hobbs, led the tabulated vote by roughly 12 percentage points, but about half of the vote has yet to be reported.

Hobbs currently serves as Arizona’s secretary of state, which includes overseeing the elections office.

—Zach Schonfeld

Democrat Nikki Budzinski is projected to win the race for Illinois’s newly drawn 13th Congressional District.

The Associated Press called the race at 1:12 a.m.

Budzinski flipped the seat after the historically red district was redrawn substantially more favorable to Democrats during redistricting, defeating Republican Regan Deering, a philanthropist and small business owner.

Budzinski served as the Office of Management and Budget’s chief of staff for the first six months of the Biden administration and previously worked as a senior adviser to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D).

— Zach Schonfeld

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D) is projected to lose his reelection bid to former state Sen. Tom Kean Jr. (R) in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, flipping the Garden State seat red.

The victory by Kean, a former minority leader of the state Senate, put an end to Malinowski’s four-year tenure in Congress. He was first elected to the House in the 2018 blue wave that ushered in a Democratic House majority.

Malinowski’s loss does not come as a total surprise — the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the seat “lean Republican.” But it is a key pickup for Republicans in their quest to take control of the lower chamber.

— Mychael Schnell

Democratic Rep. Chris Papas is projected to win reelection in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional district, a seat viewed as a toss-up this year.

The Associated Press called the race around 12:45 a.m.

Pappas faced Republican nominee Karoline Leavitt, a 25-year-old former aide in the Trump White House and the office of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) who aimed to energize young voters.

Pappas, first elected to the eastern district in 2018, has voted in line with President Biden’s stated positions but criticized his executive action to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt per borrower, calling it “no way to make policy.”

— Emily Brooks

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) is projected to defeat Republican Mehmet Oz in the state’s marquee Senate race, delivering a crucial win for Democrats. 

NBC News and Fox News called the race.

Fetterman’s victory comes after the race became a jump ball in the final weeks, with Oz having narrowed the gap in polling after a frenetic surge in the final two months. He will replace the retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). 

The state is a crucial pickup for Democrats and a major step forward in their hopes of keeping control of the Senate.

Read more here.

— Al Weaver

New York Republican gubernatorial nominee Lee Zeldin is refusing to concede to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), despite several reputable outlets calling the race in the Democrat’s favor.

“It’s gonna be a little frustrating for the members of the media who didn’t want us ever to be in contention here in New York. I’m sure NBC was pretty excited about trying to call this race quickly,” Zeldin said in a speech Tuesday night, arguing that there are still Election Day votes to be counted that could tip the state in his favor. 

“There is a piece of this story that is still to be told,” he added.

A number of outlets, including NBC News and ABC News, called the race for Hochul just after 11 p.m. Eastern. 

“I’m deeply honored to be elected Governor of the State of New York,” the governor wrote on Twitter.