Midterm elections 2022: Republican control of US House probable but Senate a toss-up

Key races in Nevada and Arizona are too close to call, and in Georgia, results won't be known until a December 6 run-off election

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a Democrat rally in Washington, as President Joe Biden and their spouses Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff listen. Bloomberg

Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, speaks at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Former astronaut and Democratic candidate Mark Kelly defeated his Republican rival in Arizona's senate race. Reuters

Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer, left, opens mail-in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Ballots were being counted in Maricopa County three days after voters went to the polls for the midterm election in Arizona. AFP

Election workers open mail-in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

Staff scan ballots for the US midterm elections at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

Election workers open mail-in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

In a divided America, a political campaign sign sits abandoned at the roadside in Phoenix, Arizona, two days after the midterms. AFP

Ballots are processed in Las Vegas. Getty Images

Election officials give a press conference in Maricopa County, Arizona, where ballots were still being counted two days after the midterms. AFP

Ballots are carried to be scanned in Philadelphia. Reuters

Mr Biden was all smiles during a news conference in the White House. Bloomberg

An election worker sorts ballots in Las Vegas. AFP

Election workers sort ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre. AFP

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger holds a news conference in Atlanta. AP

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso gets a hug on stage at his election night headquarters in Los Angeles. AP

Paul Riley, father of Josh Riley, bows his head as election results come in at his son's election party in Binghamton, New York. Josh Riley, the Democratic candidate, ran against Republican Marc Molinaro. AP

Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks during election night in Detroit. AP

Supporters cheer during an election night event for Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr Fetterman defeated Republican Senate candidate Dr Mehmet Oz. AFP

Supporters watch news of a projected victory for Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Reuters

Republican J D Vance arrives with his wife Usha to declare victory in the Senatorial race in Columbus, Ohio. Reuters

New York Governor Kathy Hochul attends an event to celebrate her victory in the US midterm elections. Reuters

Representative Abigail Spanberger, of the Democratic party, speaks to supporters after her re-election, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. AP

Democrat Wes Moore, second from left, hugs his daughter, Mia, centre, as his mother, Joy Thomas Moore, left, son, Jamie, second from right, and wife, Dawn, look on, after he was declared the winner of the Maryland race for governor. AP

A supporter of Republican candidate Lee Zeldin reacts as media outlets predict results, in the race for governor, in favour of Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul. AP

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt celebrates his re-election, at a Republican Party watch party in Oklahoma City. AP

Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia Stacey Abrams speaks during her 2022 US midterm elections night party in Atlanta, Georgia. Her rival Brian Kemp won. Reuters

A woman arrives before Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters during an election night party in Tampa. AP

Voters wait in line at a polling station at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas. AP

A voter goes to cast their vote after filling out their ballot at a polling station inside The Shed arts centre in Manhattan. AP

A jogger runs past the Capitol Building in Washington. The US midterm elections are held every four years at the midpoint of each presidential term. EPA

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis waves from the stage next to his wife Casey and children during his midterm elections party in Tampa. Reuters

A man in costume arrives for a Republican party 'Save America' rally before the US midterm elections, in Miami, Florida. AFP

US President Joe Biden, centre, poses for a selfie with supporters during a rally for Democratic candidates, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. AFP

A man marks his ballot during early voting in Lansing, Michigan. Reuters

A child attends a rally held by US President Joe Biden with Democratic nominee for Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Senator Chris Van Hollen and other Maryland Democrats, at Bowie State University. Reuters

Supporters cheer during a rally for Democratic candidates at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. AFP

State Representative Leslie Rossi poses by a giant cutout of former US President Donald Trump in front of the "Trump House", which she owns and created in 2016, in Youngstown, Pennsylvania. AFP

Republican candidate for US Senate for Arizona Blake Masters speaks at a rally in Queen Creek, Arizona. EPA

People in the crowd cheer during a campaign rally at Bowie State University in Maryland, which was attended President Joe Biden, the first lady, Jill Biden, Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and Senator Chris Van Hollen. AP

Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake arrives for a campaign stop, in Phoenix. Reuters

Morgan Koetje and Nickolas Lentz from Reproductive Freedom for All, canvass a neighborhood in support of Proposal 3, a ballot measure that would codify the right to an abortion, one day before the midterm election in Dewitt, Michigan. Reuters

Republican candidate for US Senate Herschel Walker takes a picture with supporters in Kennesaw, Georgia during a "Unite Georgia Bus Stop" campaign rally on the eve of the midterm elections. AFP

Republican Senate candidate Val Demings speaks to supporters in Wilton Manors, Florida. AP

Senate hopeful Mehmet Oz addresses campaign rally in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. AP

Former president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in support of the campaign of Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance, at Dayton International Airport. AP

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive for the rally at Bowie State University, in Maryland. AP

Voters pass by a sign outside a polling site in Warwick, Rhode Island after casting their ballots on the last day of early voting before the midterm election. AP

Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams speaks to volunteers during an election eve phone and text bank party in Atlanta. AP

US Vice President Kamala Harris, left, points to Los Angeles mayoral candidate Representative Karen Bass, after speaking at a rally in Los Angeles. AP

The Republican Party inched closer to taking control of the US House of Representatives on Thursday, albeit with a smaller majority than they had predicted, while the fate of the Senate may not be known for weeks.

As of midday, two days after the midterm elections, Republicans had won 208 of the 218 seats needed to secure a majority in the 435-seat chamber, gaining 10 from the Democrats, who only had 190. Another 37 seats had yet to be announced.

Greater uncertainty surrounded the fate of the 100-seat Senate, where Republicans had won 49 seats and Democrats 48.

Key races in Nevada and Arizona remained too close to call, and in Georgia, results will not be known until a December 6 run-off election.

Either party could still win — but if it is 50-50, power stays with the Democrats, as Vice President Kamala Harris has a tiebreaking vote.

Election officials in Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous, said it could take until at least Friday to tally all the votes.

Tuesday's elections marked a remarkable departure from decades of midterms, in which the president's party historically suffered huge losses, such as in 2010, when Barack Obama famously saw his Democratic Party dealt a “shellacking” by the Republicans.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday appeared buoyant, declaring the elections marked “a good day for democracy”, after Republican candidates who had parroted former president Donald Trump's baseless claims of election fraud in 2020 failed to make widespread gains.

In the US, it is the states that run elections and Democrats were afraid that election deniers would work openly to further subvert America's frayed democratic processes.

Tuesday's results also suggested voters were pushing back against Republican efforts to ban abortion.

Mr Biden said the Democrats had lost fewer seats in the House this year than in any Democratic president's first midterm election in the past 40 years.

He also praised high youth turnout at the polls and said his party had “the best midterm for governors since 1986".

Still, he acknowledged the headwinds he will continue to face, in a nod to high inflation and an uncertain economy.

“The voters are also clear that they are still frustrated. I get it. I understand. It's been a really tough few years in this country for so many people,” he said.

If the Republicans do indeed capture the House, Mr Biden's political life will get a lot more difficult.

Not only will his legislative agenda come to a screeching halt, but the Republicans will also launch a string of investigations into a number of topics, including his son Hunter Biden's stolen laptop, which contains vast troves of compromising material, and the end of the Afghanistan war.

Mr Biden acknowledged that reality, saying he was prepared to work with Republicans to get bills passed.

A White House official said Mr Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker if his party takes control of the chamber.

Immigrant communities in Arizona fear US midterm election outcome — in pictures

Republicans are expected to demand spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation's borrowing limit next year, a showdown that could spook financial markets.

Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Mr Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts.

Meanwhile, the fallout for Mr Trump grew after many of his picks lost, including notably Mehmet Oz in the critically important Pennsylvania Senate race.

Advisers are urging him to rethink presumed plans to announce his candidacy for a 2024 White House run next week, and the normally friendly conservative press has appeared to turn on the former leader.

The New York Post on Thursday called him “Trumpty Dumpty” who was unable to build a wall, while it and other outlets lionised Ron DeSantis, who easily won re-election as Florida's governor, as the future of the Republican Party.