PHOENIX, Arizona/Birmingham, Michigan (Reuters) – Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was among the incumbents to easily win re-election in Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections. He will dissolve government divisions and curtail Democratic President Joe Biden’s power in Washington.
DeSantis, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has turned against Democratic Rep. Charlie Christ, Edison Research predicts. Seven Republicans won Senate seats, according to Edison, with no unexpected results.
With half of the 50 U.S. states now largely closing in on the polls, the first results won’t change the balance of power in the 50/50 Senate, which is currently dominated by Democrats in a tie vote.
All 35 Senate and 435 House seats are on the ballot. Republicans are widely supported to win the five seats they need to control the House, but control of the Senate could come down to stiff competition in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona. Three dozen gubernatorial elections are also at stake.
The final result is unlikely to be known immediately.
More than 46 million Americans voted by mail or in person before Election Day, according to US Election Project data. State election officials warn that counting these votes will take time. Senate control in Georgia he may not find out until a potential runoff vote on December 6th.
(Click here for live election results nationwide.)
High inflation and abortion rights were voters’ top concerns, according to exit polls, in an election that saw voters cede control of at least one House of Congress to Republicans. A divided government will likely mark the end of Biden’s legislative agenda.
Local officials reported isolated problems across the country, including bomb threats in Louisiana and paper shortages in Pennsylvania counties.
In the key battlefield of Maricopa County, Arizona, Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters and the National Party filed an emergency lawsuit seeking more time to vote after some counting machines malfunctioned.
The issue fueled unsubstantiated claims among former President Donald Trump and his supporters that the failure was intentional.
Many Republican candidates echo Trump’s false claims that his loss to Biden in 2020 was due to widespread fraud.
In battleground states such as Nevada, Arizona and Michigan, Republican candidates leading state elections have embraced Trump’s lies, raising concerns that a Democrat victory could interfere in the 2024 presidential election. It is rising.
“They deny the last election was legitimate,” Biden said on a radio show for black voters. .”
Trump, who voted in Florida, has frequently hinted at a third presidential election. He said Monday that he will make a “big announcement” on November 15.
Mr. Biden was expected to see the results from the White House, where a normally quiet hallway is teeming with aides. Biden’s advisers said Democrats did all they could given rising gas prices and inflation, partly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
financial concerns
The parties that dominate the White House almost always lose seats in midterm elections, but Democrats hoped the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn abortion rights across the country would help defy history.
But stubbornly high inflation of 8.2%, the highest in 40 years, puts pressure on their chances during the election season.
“The economy sucks. It’s the administration’s fault,” said Bethany Hadelman, who voted for the Republican candidate in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Fear of rising crime was also a factor in left-wing neighborhoods like New York, where incumbent Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul faced a tough challenge from Republican Lee Zeldin.
“Criminals are constantly committing crimes. They go to jail and come out hours or the next day,” said John Delsanto, 35, a New York City legal assistant who said he voted for Zeldin. rice field.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed just 39% of Americans supported Mr. Biden’s course of action. Some Democratic candidates have deliberately distanced themselves from the White House amid Biden’s waning popularity.
Trump’s polls are similarly low, with another recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showing just 41% of respondents say they have a favorable view of Trump.
In Congress, the Republican-controlled House can block bills that address Democratic priorities such as abortion rights and climate change, while the Republican Senate is unable to hold Biden’s position, including vacant seats on the Supreme Court. Governing judicial appointments.
Republicans could also launch a showdown over the country’s debt ceiling that could rock financial markets and launch an investigation into the Biden administration and family.
If Republicans regain control of Congress, they will have the power to block aid to Ukraine, but they are likely to slow or curtail the flow of defense and economic aid, analysts say.
Joseph Ax, Doina Chiacoo, Susan Heavey, Gram Slattery, Trevor Hunicutt, Washington; Gabriella Boater, Royal Oak, Michigan; Nathan Lane, Alpharetta, Georgia; Marsha Tsvetkova, New York; Reporting by Ned Parker of Reed, Reno. Nevada; written by Joseph Ax and Andy Sullivan. Edited by Scott Malone, Alistair Bell, Howard Goller, Daniel Wallis
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