2022 US election results, The 2022 midterm elections are shaping up to be a historic, decisive moment in American politics.
Democrats currently have slim control over the U.S. Congress, and Republicans are hoping to make major gains to win back power.
The outcome of this election will determine not only the future of congressional control but the outlook for the remainder of President Joe Biden’s agenda during his term in office.
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Latest headlines and live election results
- ABC News projects John Fetterman has defeated Dr. Mehmet Oz to win Pennsylvania’s Senate race, the first flipped seat in the chamber.
- In the Senate, Republicans are slightly favored to take control, FiveThirtyEight is projecting. Republicans are projected to retain control of 18 of 21 GOP seats on the ballot, and Democrats are projected to retain 12 of the 14 seats on the ballot. Democrats held down a close race in New Hampshire with U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan’s projected win, while Republican JD Vance held onto control for the GOP in Ohio.
- Republicans are favored to flip the House, FiveThirtyEight projects.
- The Maryland and Massachusetts governors’ seats have flipped Democrat, ABC News projects. Several more of the 36 governorships that were up for election could change hands, with FiveThirtyEight projecting Nevada, Wisconsin and possibly Oregon to flip Republican. Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is projected to win in a rematch against Democrat Stacey Abrams, GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is projected to win a record-tying third term.
- Abortion is on the ballot in five states, and five states are considering whether to approve recreational marijuana.
U.S. Senate
What’s at play
In the Senate, 21 Republican seats and 14 Democratic seats were up for grabs, with FiveThirtyEight projecting that Republicans are slightly favored to win.
While the Senate could tilt either way after the midterm elections, the majority party is still likely to have the slimmest of margins. That means Biden will be able to find a bit more common ground there, no matter who is in charge. Much of Biden’s legislative achievements in office have been the byproduct of bipartisan negotiations in the Senate.
WATCH: Battle for control over Congress a major focus of 2022 elections
Still, a Republican-led Senate could pass bills sent over by a GOP House, putting political pressure on Biden. And the GOP would regain control of committees and, with it, the power to conduct investigations and oversight of the administration.
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Key races
- Pennsylvania:
ABC News projects Democrat John Fetterman has defeated Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz to pick up retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey’s seat.
- Georgia:
In another tight race, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is running for a full six-year term against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Walker’s abortion controversy, however, may affect his chances of winning.
- Nevada:
Republicans have four main pickup opportunities — and right now, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s seat looks like one of their best shots. Polls show her narrowly trailing against her Republican opponent, Adam Laxalt, the state’s former attorney general.
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U.S. House
Top results
- ABC News can report that Democratic candidate Maxwell Frost, a 25-year-old progressive activist, is projected to win his bid to represent Florida’s 10th District, making him the first-ever Generation Z member of Congress.
- ABC News has projected that three House seats have flipped in Florida from Democrat to Republican.
What’s at play
In the House, 213 Republican seats and 222 Democratic seats up for grabs, with FiveThirtyEight forecasting Republicans taking control.
SEE ALSO: What to expect on election night
Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have held the majority since 2018, when they won control in then-President Donald Trump’s first midterm election. Republicans could take back the House if they net just five seats in dozens of competitive districts, and they are trying to win dozens.
History also gives Republicans reason for optimism. In the modern era, the party that’s held the White House has lost congressional seats in virtually every first-term president’s midterm election.
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If Republicans win the House, the GOP caucus will elect a new speaker and take power on Jan. 3, 2023. They will run every committee and decide what bills come to the House floor.
MORE: The importance of the 2022 midterm elections
Gubernatorial races
Top results
- Georgia’s incumbent governor, Republican Brian Kemp, will win his rematch election against his Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams, ABC News projects. Kemp, a conservative stalwart who broke with Donald Trump when the former president called for him to help in overturning the 2020 election in the state, faced off against Abrams, a staunch voting rights activist, in a lengthy 2018 contest that ended in a recall.
- ABC News can project that Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will win against GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin, becoming the first woman elected to the role in New York.
- Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is projected to win a record-tying third term against Democrat Beto O’Rourke. Abbott win will strengthen his prospects as a potential 2024 presidential candidate.
- Democratic nominee Wes Moore will win Maryland’s gubernatorial race, which would make him the first Black person elected governor of Maryland, ABC News projects.
- Democrat Maura Healey is projected to win against Republican challenger Geoff Diehl to become the first woman and openly lesbian politician elected governor of Massachusetts.
- ABC News can project that Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders will win against Democratic challenger Chris Jones, electing her as the first female governor of Arkansas.
- ABC News can project that Gov. Ron DeSantis will win reelection against Democratic challenger — and former Florida governor — Charlie Crist. DeSantis is widely seen as a potential contender for the GOP nomination in 2024, and he spent much of his victory speech Tuesday discussing national politics.
Ballot measures
Abortion
Voters in battleground Michigan have enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, joining reliably Democratic California and Vermont on election night.
It’s still too early to call an anti-abortion measure in Kentucky. Montana voters, meanwhile, were also considering newborn resuscitative care requirements with possible criminal penalties, including the rare case of an attempted abortion.
The Tuesday ballot initiatives come months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion it guaranteed to women nationwide.
Recreational marijuana
Voters have approved recreational marijuana in Maryland and Missouri and rejected it in Arkansas and North Dakota.
The measure also is on the ballot in South Dakota.
The elections are seen as a test of legalization’s support in even the most conservative parts of the country.
