Election results: Senate, House races still undecided - live updates - USA TODAY

Ballots are still being tallied successful cardinal states, leaving blockbuster races undecided and the equilibrium of Congress unknown days aft Tuesday's midterm elections.

• What is the equilibrium of Congress looking like?: Democrats breathed a suspiration of relief by avoiding overwhelming losses (as immoderate had predicted) though Republicans are inactive connected track to instrumentality the House. But it's the Senate that's closer. 
• What large races are we waiting on?: All eyes are connected Nevada and Arizona wherever ballots are inactive being counted successful important Senate races that could find whether Democrats clasp connected to Senate control. Dozens of House races inactive don't have resolutions, including a nail-biter successful GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert's Colorado district.  A handful of politician contests, including successful Arizona wherever Trump-endorsed Kari Lake trails Democrat Katie Hobbs, are to-be-determined arsenic well.
• Alaska and Georgia Senate outcomes volition person to wait: If Republicans triumph 1 of the Senate contests successful Nevada and Arizona, it volition each travel down to Georgia, wherever Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Trump-backed Republican challenger Herschel Walker volition look disconnected successful a runoff Dec. 6. A Republican v. Republican match-up successful Alaska betwixt Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka and Sen. Lisa Murkowski is heading to different count. 

Here's the latest:

Republicans spot blasted connected Trump for subpar predetermination results

After Republicans’ expectations of a resounding reddish question crashed down, galore successful the enactment are pointing the digit astatine erstwhile President Donald Trump. 

• New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said successful an interrogation connected SiriusXM that Trump announcing a statesmanlike tally earlier the holidays is simply a “terrible idea” that could “muck up” Georgia Republican Herschel Walker’s chances astatine winning his U.S. Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock. 
• Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears broke with the erstwhile president Thursday, saying she “just couldn’t” enactment him successful different statesmanlike bid. “The voters person spoken, and they’ve said that they privation a antithetic leader,” she said. “And a existent person understands erstwhile they person go a liability.” 
• Among the peculiarly vocal person been politicians successful Pennsylvania, a plaything authorities wherever Democrats John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro prevailed implicit Trump-backed Republican challengers Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano for the U.S. Senate and authorities governorship, respectively. Retiring Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said determination was a “high correlation betwixt MAGA candidates and large losses” and predicted that Trump’s power would “wane” implicit time. Former Rep. Lou Barletta, 1 of Trump’s earliest supporters, said Trump “interfered with the superior present erstwhile determination was nary crushed for it.”

-Ella Lee

Waiting connected a milestone: LGBTQ candidates trailing by razor-thin margins successful too-close-to-call races  

A bevy of House races are inactive excessively adjacent to telephone successful California (16) and Oregon (2).

Of peculiar interest: the legislature races of Democrats Jamie McLeod-Skinner successful Oregon and Will Rollins successful California. Both are trailing by tiny margins.

They are besides the past openly LGBTQ national candidates inactive to beryllium decided, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund governmental enactment committee.

Early Wednesday, the radical said 340 retired LGBTQ candidates had won elections all the mode up and down the ballot, from races for schoolhouse boards to the U.S. Senate.

As of Friday morning, that fig was 436, shattering past records. LGBTQ Victory Fund spokesperson Albert Fujii told USA TODAY. The radical tin chalk up 2 much if McLeod-Skinner and Rollins propulsion disconnected victories.

At GLAAD, a New York-based LGBTQ advocacy organization, President Sarah Kate Ellis, told USA TODAY that “equality was connected the ballot” with a litany of hard-right blimpish candidates pushing for the elimination of sex studies successful schools and opposing equality measures connected the authorities and national level. But the wins this week, she said, are “pretty phenomenal.”

McLeod-Skinner trounced seven-term incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader in Oregon’s Democratic superior successful May and faced Republican nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer Tuesday. Chavez-DeRemer was roughly 7,000 votes ahead Friday morning, but lone 85% of votes had been counted.

In California, Rollins is wrong 1,500 votes of Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert, but conscionable implicit fractional the ballots had been counted.

- Donovan Slack

Why is Kari Lake outperforming Republican state Blake Masters successful Arizona?

One of the emerging trends successful the still-being-counted Arizona races is that GOP gubernatorial campaigner Kari Lake is outperforming GOP Senate campaigner Blake Masters.

Lake was wrong 27,000 votes of Democrat Katie Hobbs Thursday, a quality of astir 1.4 percent points with capable ballots near to overtake her.

Masters' totals, however, lags Lake's totals by much than 60,000 votes. Additionally, Libertarian Marc Victor, who discontinue the contention past week and asked his backers to ballot for Masters, maintained pockets of support.

"Masters is unusual. Normally, we expect to person precocious levels of party-line voting present up and down the ticket," said Gary Jacobson, governmental subject prof emeritus astatine the University of California, San Diego. "If idiosyncratic doesn't support up with the ticket, that's usually a motion of a flaw with the candidate."

Masters has seemed "extreme adjacent by modern Republican standards," Jacobson said. "That's astir apt wounded him."

- Ronald J. Hanson and Caitlin McGlade, Arizona Republic

The Republican 'red wave' foundered nationally, but successful Iowa it swept distant Democrats

A reddish question whitethorn not person materialized crossed the country, but it flooded Iowa successful the midterm elections, washing distant astir each Democrat successful its way and giving Republicans astir full power of authorities government.

Republican operatives recognition Gov. Kim Reynolds with generating capable enthusiasm to assistance propulsion down-ballot candidates to victory, successful immoderate cases toppling longtime incumbents – even arsenic the nationalist occurrence they’d been expecting evaporated.

Reynolds claimed a decisive win, adjacent arsenic Democrats successful galore different states made gains successful governors’ races. Sen Chuck Grassley won reelection by treble digits. Republicans held 3 legislature seats and flipped a fourth. They bounced authorities Attorney General Tom Miller and authorities Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, 2 Democrats who clasp the grounds arsenic the nation's longest-serving politicians successful those roles. And Republicans grew their already important majorities successful the Legislature.

– Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register

Red question successful Iowa?: The Republican reddish question foundered nationally, but successful Iowa it swept distant Democrats

In an predetermination destined for the GOP, plaything voters successful PA decided otherwise

If there’s anyplace that reflects what happened for Republicans successful Tuesday's midterm elections, it’s Northampton County, a bellwether successful the battleground authorities of Pennsylvania.

Conversations with dozens of voters told USA TODAY the communicative of why. For many, it was distaste for erstwhile President Donald Trump and wariness of a Republican enactment galore consciousness has moved excessively acold to the right.

Inflation was seen arsenic the tailwind for Republicans to rapidly reclaim power of Congress and for voters to connection a rebuke of President Joe Biden. In Easton, the spot of Northampton County, wherever the median income is little than $40,000, ostentation wasn’t the magic bullet. Instead, it was democracy.

– Candy Woodall, Megan Smith and Ken Tran

'Least of 2 evils': Why plaything voters successful Pennsylvania backed Democrats successful a midterm destined for the GOP

Trump unloads connected chap Republican Ron DeSantis, a apt 2024 foe

As erstwhile President Trump plans a apt 2024 statesmanlike run, helium has been laser-focused successful the past week connected his biggest Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who won a landslide predetermination Tuesday nighttime to triumph a 2nd word arsenic Florida governor. DeSantis is wide viewed arsenic a apical 2024 Republican statesmanlike candidate.

It was past Saturday erstwhile Trump archetypal jabbed and poked astatine DeSantis with a little than flattering nickname during a 2022 midterm elections rally successful Pennsylvania. Trump has not slowed down.

The latest installment came Thursday when Trump unloaded connected Truth Social with litany of attacks, saying his endorsement of DeSantis successful the 2018 Republican gubernatorial superior launched his governmental vocation and that DeSantis is "an mean REPUBLICAN Governor with large Public Relations."

– Sergio Bustos, USA TODAY Network - Florida

Trump vs. DeSantis: A timeline of Donald Trump's punches, jabs and attacks connected Ron DeSantis successful past week

Katie Hobbs grows pb implicit Kari Lake successful Arizona's governor's race

Katie Hobbs, Arizona's Democratic nominee for governor, saw slight growth successful her advantage over her Republican challenger Thursday, though the fig of votes near to number was truthful important it promised further seesawing successful the race's margins.

Hobbs, the caput of authorities and a erstwhile lawmaker, saw a ample pb of much than 180,000 votes erstwhile archetypal counts were posted Tuesday night. That dwindled to a fewer 1000 implicit GOP challenger and erstwhile tv quality anchor Kari Lake aboriginal Wednesday morning, but widened slightly later that evening.

She widened the spread by Thursday evening, to conscionable over 1 percent point, arsenic counties continued reporting aboriginal ballot counts, including a large batch successful Maricopa County.

– Stacey Barchenger, Arizona Republic

Democrats pad constrictive leads successful Arizona 

PHOENIX – Democrats padded their constrictive leads successful cardinal Arizona contests connected Thursday, but the races for U.S. Senate and politician were inactive excessively aboriginal to telephone with astir a 5th of the full ballots near to beryllium counted.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly led Republican Blake Masters by 5.6 percent points, portion Democrat Katie Hobbs had a overmuch tighter pb of 1.4 points against Republican Kari Lake successful the governor’s race. Democrats besides led successful the races for caput of authorities and lawyer general.

Election officials successful Maricopa County, which includes metro Phoenix and much than 60% of voters, expected to statesman reporting results Friday from a important radical of ballots – nearly 300,000 message ballots that were returned connected Election Day. That radical has swung wildly successful caller predetermination cycles, from powerfully Democratic successful the 2018 midterms to powerfully Republican successful 2020.

– Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press

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Alaska Senate contention appears to beryllium headed for 2nd count

With 100% of precincts reporting successful Alaska, neither Sen. Lisa Murkowski oregon Trump-backed Republican challenger Kelly Tshibaka got much than 50 % of the votes.

That means the ballots volition beryllium counted again with the lowest vote-getter eliminated and votes redistributed to the remaining candidates based connected bid oregon penchant from ballots formed Tuesday, according to the state’s ranked-choice voting system. The process gets repeated until idiosyncratic gets much than 50%.

After the archetypal round, Murkowski got 42.84%, portion Tshibaka had 44.22%.

– Donovan Slack

History made: Wes Moore elected Maryland's archetypal Black governor; Maxwell Frost brings Gen Z to House

Georgia runoff election: Will President Joe Biden run for Sen. Raphael Warnock?

President Joe Biden stayed wide of Georgia starring up to Tuesday’s midterm elections, sending successful erstwhile President Barack Obama to rally supporters for Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Now that the Georgia Senate contention volition beryllium decided successful a December runoff election, volition Biden run for Warnock?

"The president volition bash immoderate Sen. Warnock needs him to bash to assistance him win,” White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday.

Biden had an unexpectedly bully nighttime Tuesday, erstwhile Republicans failed to present a knock-out blow. Control of Congress is still up successful the air.

But Biden’s support rating, including successful Georgia, is low. And Warnock has declined to accidental whether Biden should tally for a 2nd term.

– Maureen Groppe

Election results: The latest numbers connected each House, Senate and politician races

Newly elected Republican: 'Would similar to spot the enactment determination forward' from Trump

Republican Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, who narrowly defeated Democratic run committee seat Sean Patrick Maloney successful the contention to correspond New York’s 17th Congressional District, told CNN connected Thursday morning that helium would similar to spot the Republican enactment determination guardant from erstwhile President Donald Trump.

When asked if Trump was liable for the deficiency of a "red wave" connected Tuesday, Lawler said determination needs to beryllium much absorption connected issues than personalities and that the enactment moving successful a antithetic absorption “is a bully thing, not a atrocious thing.”

“I would similar to spot the enactment determination forward,” helium said. “I deliberation immoderate clip you are focused connected the future, you can't truthful overmuch spell to the past.” 

– Rachel Looker 

No Black women won Senate oregon politician races: Despite historical campaigns, nary Black women won Senate oregon politician races successful 2022 midterms