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☆ Republicans close in on U.S. House majority, Senate still up for grabs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A split would mean the Senate majority would come down to a runoff election in Georgia for the second time in two years. Even a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden's term, blocking priorities such as abortion rights and launching investigations into his administration and family. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts. MIXED RESULTSThe party in power historically suffers heavy casualties in a president's first midterm election, and Biden has struggled with low approval ratings.

☆ The 2022 election disaster that wasn't: The system worked and Trump-backed candidates are conceding
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The run-up to Election Day 2022 was marred by fears of chaos and refusals to concede. A slew of Trump-backed candidates who rejected the legitimacy of the 2020 election were on the ballot. Election Day went smoothly, and while there were minor issues in places like Maricopa County, Arizona, they were quickly identified and resolved and there were no broader infrastructure problems. Taking a lesson from the 2020 election, cybersecurity and election security officials also stepped up efforts to combat disinformation related to this year's midterms. Crucially, many of Trump's handpicked candidates conceded defeat when their races were called.

☆ A furious Trump is blaming Melania for urging him to support Dr. Oz, who lost a key Senate race: NYT reporter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz lost the race for US Senate in Pennsylvania this week. The former president was "furious" about his loss, The New York Times' Maggie Haberman tweeted. Among others, Trump blamed his wife, Melania, for encouraging him to back Oz, Haberman said. Former First Lady Melania Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity had been pressing Trump to back Oz because they were friends with him, Axios' Jonathan Swan reported at the time. The Failing New York Times has gone crazy."

☆ Right-wing media powerhouses pan Trump amid Republicans' underperformance in the midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Three of the most prominent right-wing media outlets in the US are turning on Trump. Fox News, the NY Post, and WSJ editorial board all published critical pieces about Trump amid Republican underperformance in the midterms. The New York Post published a Thursday cover story mocking "Trumpty Dumpty" for failing to unify the Republican Party. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board followed suit, publishing a piece Thursday calling Trump the GOP's "biggest loser." The WSJ editorial board blamed Trump for having "botched" the 2022 midterms, adding that "it could hand Democrats the Senate for two more years."

Former NFL football star Herschel Walker trailed Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in Georgia, as the two headed to a Dec. 6 run-off election. But Trump-backed Senate candidates J.D. The populist priorities of his "America First" agenda and his combative political style also helped shape the overall Republican campaign. Save America contributed close to $30 million to political allies and Republican Party accounts, including $20 million in October to a group that ran television ads supporting Republican Senate candidates in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. But Save America's contributions paled in comparison to spending by the Senate Leadership Fund, or SLF, a leading political action committee aligned with top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell.

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☆ Trump says 'I'd like to apologize to Melania' on behalf of news outlets that reported he blamed her for his failed endorsement of Dr. Oz
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump said he was sorry to Melania after a report that he's privately blaming her for faulty election advice. The New York Times reported that Trump is trying to cast the blame on others for his backing of Mehmet Oz. "I'd like to apologize to Melania and Sean Hannity for all of the Fake News and fictional stories," Trump said in a message on his Truth Social platform. In reality, Trump's endorsement of Oz was a major factor in the GOP primary. "I am not sure I have," Trump told GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who served as moderator of the event.

☆ AOC says 'it's so out of touch to imply that abortion isn't an economic issue' after reproductive rights were at the top of voters' minds in the midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Reproductive rights got big wins in the midterms as voters chose to protect abortion access in five states. As the GOP sought to block abortions, AOC said it's "out of touch" to consider the issue separate from the economy. She referred to the lack of guaranteed healthcare and childcare that often comes alongside stripping abortion rights. At the midterm elections, abortion was a key concern for voters after the bombshell Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade this summer. Even in Republican and swing states, it was clear protecting the right to an abortion was a major concern for voters.

☆ Trump rants on social media about how he is 'not at all angry' about the midterms, saying he actually 'did a great job'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump seems really angry about reports that he's angry. He is lashing out at the "fake narrative from the corrupt media" that he's angry about the midterms. He claims he did "a great job" and urged his Truth Social followers to remember he's a "'Stable Genius.'" The former president is lashing out at what he describes as the "fake narrative from the corrupt media" that he's angry — correction, "Angry" — about the midterms and telling his Truth Social followers not to believe it. He insisted that almost all of his endorsees won and said the New York Times was "only quoting enemies and losers."

☆ While some of Trump's picks lost or underperformed, Gov. Ron DeSantis dominated in Florida — heating up talks about who the GOP nominee should be in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After the GOP underperformed, some Republicans are saying it's time to move on from Trump. Ron DeSantis handily won reelection in a state that has long been considered a swing state, defeating Democrat Charlie Crist with a roughly 20-point lead as of Wednesday. The drastic difference has already led Republicans to turn to DeSantis for 2024 hopes, a prospect that now seems all the more likely. But one of the biggest blows to the GOP, and Trump, came in Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. Some were already propping up DeSantis as the best choice for the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

☆ We may not know who controls the U.S. Senate until December; House could be decided much sooner
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

And that result could be dragged out even further if one or more of the House races is so close it triggers a recount. The outcome of those races will determine if Democrats retain the slimmest possible majority in the Senate, with the potential to actually increase the majority slightly. Currently, there are 48 Democratic senators and two independents who caucus with them, compared with 50 Republican senators who make up the remainder of the chamber. Democrats hold the majority there since Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow Democrat, has the power to break ties as president of the Senate. John Fetterman defeated GOP contender Dr. Mehmet Oz for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who's retiring.

☆ I'm a Pennsylvania poll worker. I worked a 15-hour shift for $250, but it was worth it to help people vote — especially in a swing state.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Ananya Vahal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aaron Stevens, 33, is a Philadelphia poll worker who worked the 2022 midterm elections in Pa. This was his fourth time as a poll worker because he loves to see his community participate. This is my fourth time as a poll worker in Philadelphia. If their information was correct, we guided them to the touch-screen voting machines and gave them extra help if needed. When I used to work as a poll worker in the past, people were worried about voting terminals getting hacked.

☆ Newly-elected House Republican, who ousted a top Democrat, says it's time for the GOP to move on from Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rep.-elect Michael Lawler pushed for the Republican Party to move beyond Trump. "I would like to see the party move forward," Lawler told CNN. "I would like to see the party move forward," Lawler told CNN. As CNN's Kaitlan Collins pointed out to Lawler, some GOP figures are beginning to try to move the GOP away from Trump. "I strongly believe he should no longer be the face of the Republican Party," King said.

☆ Trump insists that the midterm results were a success for him, even as other Republicans brand them a failure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump on Thursday tried to spin the GOP's disappointing midterm results as a success story. High-profile candidates Trump endorsed were beaten or underperformed. Republicans on Wednesday started blaming Trump for the absence of a "red wave." Trump endorsed more than 200 candidates elections, many of whom were running in safe seats where GOP candidates were expected to win regardless of who endorsed them. Overall, the Republican "red wave" of sweeping gains in the election that some analysts were anticipating did not arrive, and some Republicans moved to blame Trump.

☆ Trump was the biggest loser of the 2022 midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Arick Wierson | Arick Wierson Is A Six-Time Emmy Award-Winning Television Producer | A Former Senior Aide To Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He Advises Political | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Mehmet Oz, Trump’s handpicked Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, fell to Democratic Lt. Gov. In Georgia, Trump foe Brian Kemp, the Republican governor, easily cruised to another term, besting Democrat Stacey Abrams. Meanwhile, Trump’s pick for Senate in the state, former football star Herschel Walker, is headed into a December runoff with Sen. Raphael Warnock. The storyline of Trump versus DeSantis battling for control of the GOP is already shaping up to be one that will dominate the national political conversation over the next two years. The other storyline should be how the outcome of the elections was a much better one for Democrats than the Beltway intelligentsia had been predicting.

The first was Democrat Wes Moore, who beat Republican Dan Cox, becoming Maryland’s first Black governor, and only the third Black governor in the country. Black female candidates hoped to make history across gender and racial lines in several states, from Rep. Val Demings and Aramis Ayala in Florida to Chelsea Clark in Ohio and several women bidding to be the country’s first Black female governor. Although many of these key races ended in upsets for the Black female Democratic candidates, some states have ushered in new progressive representation. And in Massachusetts, Democrat Andrea Campbell beat out Republican Jay McMahon to become the state’s first Black female attorney general. “What we just saw in the midterms is that these Black women were able to inspire multiracial coalitions that enabled their wins.

As the political world settled in for a long wait to know who will control Congress, Republicans began finger-pointing Wednesday about whether former President Donald Trump was to blame for their lackluster election night. The Georgia Senate race is headed to a December runoff, NBC News projects, making it increasingly likely control of the upper chamber won't be decided until then. "Now that it’s obvious the @gop should expel the Trump family from its future lexicon," Trump critic and Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted Wednesday morning. Vance at an Ohio Republican Party election night watch party in Columbus on Tuesday. Will Hurd, a former Republican congressman from Texas, tweeted of the election results, "It’s the candidates, stupid."

☆ Vance, Oz and Trump’s $89 Million Debt to McConnell
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The election results arrived too late for our deadline on Tuesday, we regret to say, though you can check OpinionJournal.com for our online coverage overnight. But one thing we can say even before all the votes are counted: If Republicans J.D. Vance and Mehmet Oz win their Senate races in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively, they’ll owe their biggest debt to Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell . Donald Trump’s endorsement helped both win their GOP primaries, but then the two struggled to raise money for the general election as they trailed their opponents in the polls. Mr. Trump will crow if both candidates win Tuesday, but the man who saved the day is the Senate leader he calls the “Old Crow.”

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy had hoped to celebrate a resounding victory that would propel him into the top job of speaker. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. Pelosi said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." [1/9] Supporters cheer U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at a House Republicans' party held late on the night of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Washington, U.S., November 9, 2022. The Georgia Senate race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff, possibly with Senate control at stake.

By early Wednesday, Republicans had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one more than the minimum they need to take over the chamber. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. Pelosi said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." But television host and heart surgeon Mehmet Oz failed to win his Pennsylvania Senate race. In Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who sought to overturn the state's election results after Trump lost, was defeated by Democrat Josh Shapiro.

☆ Analysis: Four takeaways from the U.S. midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is showered with confetti as he celebrates onstage with his wife Casey and family during his 2022 U.S. midterm elections night party in Tampa, Florida, November 8, 2022. Oz, the TV physician who was Trump's hand-picked candidate for the race, had questioned his fitness for office. During Fetterman's campaign, he made much of visiting the state's rural regions with talk of creating working-class jobs. Meanwhile, a race in the state’s 10th district, situated even closer to Washington, ended with incumbent Democrat Jennifer Wexton keeping her seat. The win moved Republicans closer to the five seats they needed to take over the House.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans remained favored to win a majority that would allow them to halt Biden's legislative agenda. By early Wednesday, the party had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one more than the minimum they need to take over the chamber. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. The Democratic speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." Voter anger over the Supreme Court's June decision to overturn the nationwide right to abortion helped Democrats to curb their losses.

SummarySummary Companies Key House, Senate races still too close to callRepublican-controlled Congress would stymie Biden agendaPHOENIX, Ariz./BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Nov 8 (Reuters) - Control of Congress was up for grabs after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections with many of the most competitive races uncalled, leaving it unclear whether Republicans would seize control from President Joe Biden's Democrats. In the House of Representatives, Republicans had been favored to win a majority that would allow them to halt Biden's legislative agenda. By early Wednesday, the party had flipped four Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one short of the number they need to take over the chamber. The Georgia Senate race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff, possibly with Senate control at stake. Democrats currently control the 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break any ties.

The barrage helped Oz climb back into a race that Fetterman had led all summer — by double digits, according to at least two polls. Fetterman, whose speech and auditory processing were affected by his stroke, agreed to only one debate, on Oct. 25. His struggles were apparent, stoking alarm the next day among Democrats who worried the performance would scare away voters. Mehmet Oz takes part in a forum for Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidates in Camp Hill, Pa. on Apr. “My wife wants some vegetables for crudité,” Oz said, picking out broccoli, asparagus, carrots, guacamole and salsa for the platter of raw vegetables and dips.

NBC News is tracking the votes remaining in states with key Senate races on election night. Use this page to see which counties in key states have the most ballots yet to be counted, along with which party is currently leading in that county. GeorgiaIn Georgia, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is in a competitive race against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. John Fetterman is in a close race against Republican Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania. The race is too close to call.

☆ Senate Control Up for Grabs With Key Races Too Close to Call
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Republican path to control of the Senate narrowed early Wednesday with Democrat John Fetterman ’s victory over physician and television personality Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, the first Senate seat flipped by either party. Republicans had poured $85 million into general-election ads for the Pennsylvania contest to try to hold a seat left open by retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey . Democrats spent $111 million, according to AdImpact, a political ad tracking firm.

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