Phoenix: Republicans made modest gains in the US midterm elections but Democrats fared better than expected, and control of Congress and President Joe Biden’s agenda was unclear on Wednesday morning. Many of the most competitive races were too close to call but Republicans acknowledged that the election was not producing the broad “red wave” victory they had sought. In the House of Representatives, Republicans favored winning a narrow majority that would allow them to block Biden’s legislative priorities and launch investigations into his administration and family.
Early Wednesday, Republicans had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research estimated, one more than the minimum they need to handle the chamber. But the Democrats were doing much better than many had expected.
In a significant victory for President Joe Biden, Democratic nominee John Fetterman flipped the Republican-held US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, defeating celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and boosting his party’s chances of holding the chamber.
The mood in the White House improved as the night’s once terrified aides celebrated Fetterman’s victory, saying he still hoped to take over the Senate.
Biden posted a photo of himself on Twitter happily congratulating some Democratic winners over the phone.
Control of the Senate relied on tight races in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, where ballots were still being counted.
The Georgia race was headed for a runoff vote on December 6 as both Democratic and Republican candidates fell short of the 50 percent needed to win.
If Republicans take control of Congress, they will have the power to cripple Biden’s agenda and could even halt aid to Ukraine, although analysts say they are looking to slow or cut back the flow of defense and economic aid. are more likely.
With a majority in the House, Republicans will attempt to use the federal debt limit as leverage to demand deeper spending cuts. They will also seek to make former President Donald Trump’s 2017 personal tax cut permanent and protect the corporate tax cut.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy had hoped to celebrate a resounding victory that would propel him to the top post of speaker.
Instead, he had to settle for a promise to his supporters: “When you wake up tomorrow, we will be in the majority and (democratic president) Nancy Pelosi will be in the minority,” he said Tuesday night.
Only 13 of the 53 most competitive races were decided based on a Reuters analysis of key non-biased predictions, raising the possibility that the final result may not be known for some time.
Equity Capital’s chief macro economist Stuart Cole said a partisan standoff between a president and Congress and a Republican-controlled House would prevent any tax hikes and limit government spending, which could mean there is a need to curb inflation. Interest rates will not increase that much. ,
no ‘red wave’
The party that occupies the White House almost always loses seats in elections in the middle of the president’s first four-year term, and Biden has struggled with low public acceptance.
But Republicans expect the “red wave” of victory to fade as Democrats show surprising resilience in several key races. The Democrats were presented as winners in 11 of the 13 close contests that were decided.
“There’s definitely not a Republican wave, it certainly is,” Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham told NBC in an interview.
“It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates across the country are outperforming expectations,” Pelosi said in a statement.
Trump, who took an active role in recruiting Republican candidates for Congress and is strongly hinting at a third presidential run in 2024, had mixed results.
He scored a victory in Ohio, where author J.D. Vance won a Senate seat to put it in Republican hands. But television host and heart surgeon Mehmet Oz failed to win his Pennsylvania Senate race.
Trump allies Arizona, Georgia and Nevada were also struggling in the Senate race, where ballots were still being counted.
Meanwhile Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who could be a main Republican challenger to Trump in 2024, added to his rising national profile, beating Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by nearly 20 percentage points, Edison estimated.
Voter anger over the Supreme Court’s June decision to end abortion rights nationwide has helped Democrats curb their losses.
Do a Toss-Up Senate
The Senate was still a toss-up, with significant fighting in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. The Georgia Senate race could end in the December 6 runoff, possibly with the Senate taking control.
Democrats currently control the 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris able to sever any ties.
Thirty-five Senate seats, all 435 House seats and three dozen governors’ races were on the ballot.
More than 46 million Americans voted, either by mail or in person, before Election Day, according to data from the US Election Project, and state election officials warned that counting those ballots would take time.
High inflation and abortion rights were top concerns of voters, exit polls show. Crime was also a top issue in Republican messaging in the final weeks of the campaign.
competing districts
In a potentially embarrassing defeat for House Democrats, Representative Sean Maloney narrowly trailed a Republican challenger in his bid for a sixth term.
Maloney chaired the Democratic campaign committee, which was accused of electing more Democrats to the House. His was one of the few races in New York State where Republicans were doing better than expected.
Both the parties registered victories in the competing districts.
Local officials reported individual problems across the country, including paper shortages in Pennsylvania County. In Maricopa County, Arizona – a major battleground – a judge rejected a Republican request to extend voting hours after some tabulation machines malfunctioned.
The problems stoked evidence-free claims between Trump and his supporters that the failures were intentional.
Scores of Republican candidates have echoed Trump’s false claims that his 2020 defeat to Biden was due to widespread fraud, raising fears among Democrats that he could interfere with the 2024 presidential race.
In Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who sought to reverse the state’s election results after Trump lost, lost to Democrat Josh Shapiro. Democratic governors also face strong Republican challenges in Michigan and Wisconsin, two states likely to remain political battlegrounds in the 2024 presidential race.
The primary issue weighing on Democrats was the stubbornly high annual inflation, which at 8.2% is the highest rate in 40 years.
Voters in California, Michigan and Vermont approved referendums enforcing abortion rights in their state constitutions. Deeply conservative Kentucky seemed ready to reject a constitutional amendment that would have declared there was no right to abortion.