US midterms: No Republican 'red wave' as Democrats hold strong

This concludes The New Arab's live coverage US midterm elections. We will be back in the morning with all the latest developments. 

In the meantime, follow The New Arab on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and developments.

Key US Senate race in Georgia goes to December runoff

Control of the U.S. Senate may once again be decided in Georgia, weeks after Election Day as a tight race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker was headed to a 6 December runoff.

With more than 99% of the vote counted, Warnock is narrowly leading against Walker, a former football star endorsed by former President Donald Trump. But Warnock has not yet reached the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, according to data from Edison Research.

While county officials are still doing the detailed work on counting the votes, we feel it is safe to say there will be a runoff for the US Senate here in Georgia slated for December 6. #gapol pic.twitter.com/uwMF2EoDzO

— Gabriel Sterling (@GabrielSterling) November 9, 2022

"While county officials are still doing the detailed work on counting the votes, we feel it is safe to say there will be a runoff for the US Senate here in Georgia slated for December 6," Gabe Sterling, chief operating officer for Georgia secretary of state, said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

A third candidate, libertarian Chase Oliver, siphoned off 2% of the vote.

(Reuters)

Republicans make slender gains in US midterms as Florida governor Ron DeSantis wins big

Republicans appeared poised on Wednesday to carve out a slim majority in the US House of Representatives, although their hopes of a sweeping victory were dashed as President Joe Biden's Democrats defied expectations.

With four key races yet to be called after Tuesday's vote, the Senate remained in play but it was leaning Democratic and control may hinge on a runoff election in the southern state of Georgia in early December.

Republicans seemed on track to reclaim the House for the first time since 2018, but the midterms delivered a mixed bag for Donald Trump, who was widely expected to announce another White House run next week.

DeSantis's crushing victory in Florida will fuel talk of run for presidency

Follow the latest ⬇️

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 9, 2022

On a night of close contests, one of the most decisive wins was for Ron DeSantis, who won the gubernatorial race overwhelmingly in Florida, cementing his status as a top potential White House candidate in 2024.

DeSantis, who has railed against Covid-19 mitigation measures and transgender rights, won by nearly 20 points against a former Democratic governor in what used to be a swing state.

"We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob," DeSantis told a victory party, using a derisive term for social justice campaigners.

But if the 44-year-old views his victory as a presidential mandate, he will likely face a stiff challenge from another Florida resident - Trump, who has teased an "exciting" announcement on 15 November.

Twitter 'laid off' counter-electoral misinformation teams days before US midterms

Elon Musk's new Twitter management team laid off dozens of the platform's content moderation personnel just days before the US midterm elections, according to multiple reports. 

Twitter's mass layoffs last Friday, which affected approximately half the company's employees, included teams devoted to adding context to misleading tweets.

Twitter's mass layoffs included staff responsible for tracking and countering misinformation spread on the platform ahead of and during the US #MidtermElections2022
https://t.co/vJkA3sfSsN

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 9, 2022

They included several people who were meant to be on call during the final days of the US midterm elections to flag problematic content or suspected foreign interference around the elections, according to The Washington Post. 

Electoral misinformation has been rampant on Twitter and other social media platforms during past elections in the US and users fear Musk's new policies could lead to a rise in false information being spread around the midterms, which took place on Tuesday. 

Musk's takeover has been directly linked to a rise in the spread of "fake news" on the platform, some reports have said.

Read the full story here. 

No 'red wave' for the Republicans yet

For weeks, Republicans predicted a “red wave” would carry them to power in Congress, as voters repudiated majority Democrats for failing to tame skyrocketing inflation and address worries about rising crime.

The reality appeared far different early Wednesday.

Rather than a wholesale rejection of President Joe Biden and his party, the results were far more mixed as returns from Tuesday’s midterms trickled in.

One thing I know already.

If not for voters under 30 ... tonight WOULD have been a Red Wave.

CNN National House Exit Poll

R+ 13 65+
R+ 11 45-64

D +2 30-44
D +28 18-29#GenZ did their job.

— John Della Volpe (@dellavolpe) November 9, 2022

Many Democratic incumbents proved surprisingly resilient, outperforming their party’s own expectations. Meanwhile, Democrat John Fetterman won an open Senate seat currently held by the GOP, while other key races that will determine control of the chamber remain too early to call.

“When you wake up tomorrow, we will be in the majority and Nancy Pelosi will be in the minority,” Leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy predicted early on Wednesday.

He may be right. But it appeared that likely Republican gains would come on far less favourable terms than anticipated.

Kremlin says ties with US will remain 'bad' after midterm elections

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Moscow's ties with Washington were likely to remain at rock bottom regardless of the results of US midterm elections, with relations at a historic low over the conflict in Ukraine.

"These elections won't have any significant impact," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies, adding: "Our existing ties are bad and they will remain bad."

Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib elected to US Congress

Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib and Somali-American Ilhan Omar were re-elected to the US Congress today. 

Tlaib – who was a sitting Congresswoman – has in the past confronted President Biden over his support for Israel at the expense of Palestinians. She won her seat in the House to represent Michigan’s 12^th congressional district.

To every single volunteer, thank you for protecting people's right to vote. Thank you for caring enough. Thank you for showing up with joy and love.

Tonight, we will show folks that our community is beautifully loud and powerful. We aren't going to be silenced. pic.twitter.com/7yWh6P199t

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) November 9, 2022

Ilhan Omar – a pro-Palestinian politician who previously served as a representative for the state of Minnesota’s 5^th congressional district – was also re-elected.

Three Palestinians and one Somali were elected to the US Congress on Tuesday. 

Two other Palestinians, Ruwa Rumman and Abdel Nasser Rashid, were elected to their local state assemblies.

Ruwa Romman won her race to represent Georgia’s 97^th State House District. She has been labelled a ‘trailblazer’ by supporters for being the first Muslim woman to serve in the state’s general assembly.

We did it y’all. We made history in Georgia! I cannot fully express my thanks to everyone who supported our campaign. So many of those who volunteered with us had never done political work before. (1/4) #GAPol #Ruwa4Georgia

— Ruwa Romman (@Ruwa4Georgia) November 9, 2022

Abdel Nasser Rashid won his position as the state representative for Illinois’s 21^st district, also making history as the first Palestinian Muslim to do so.

Good morning, and welcome back to The New Arab's coverage of the US midterm election.

As it stands, the Democrats have gained a seat in the Senate but lost two in the House of Representatives. Many of the remaining races are too close to call.

Stay tuned for more updates as they come in. 

So far this election night, only two major results have come in. 

Josh Shapiro looks to be pulling away from Trump-endorsed Republican Doug Mastriano in the gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania -  with a healthy lead of over 10% and three quarters of the vote counted. 

Democratic hopeful Stacey Abrams has most likely lost out to incumbent Brian Kemp for the governorship of Georgia - currently trailing by several percentage points with over 70% of the vote already counted. 

And that concludes The New Arab's live coverage of the 2022 US midterms for the night. We'll be back with all the key developments tomorrow. Thanks for following with us. 

A gush of misinformation around US midterm elections could turn into a torrent after voting ends, experts warn, as tensions grow around key razor-tight races.

Some results are not expected to be declared for days or weeks, a delay that could trigger what observers fear will be a flood of bitter challenges and unfounded claims of election malpractice:

Republicans have picked up a net four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that had previously been held by Democrats with 228 of 435 races not yet called, Edison Research projected on Tuesday.

For House races, Edison Research is tracking the net number of seats that flip from one party to another, as opposed to the net gain or loss of overall seats by either party.

The number of flips does not take into account seven new seats created during congressional redistricting and two races in which an incumbent Democrat and an incumbent Republican are facing each other due to redistricting.

So far, Republicans have won 132 seats in the 435-seat House and Democrats have won 75 seats, Edison projected.

Reporting by Reuters

Key Senate races are going down to the wire as the count continues into Wednesday morning. 

Republicans only need to flip one seat from blue to red to take control of the upper chamber of the US Congress. 

36 are up for grabs during these midterms - and many of the battleground states remain a dead heat as the count reaches halfway. 

The Associated Press have Georgia, where incumbent Raphael Warnock faces controversial Trump-endorsed Herschel Walker, and Pennsylvania - where John Fetterman is locked in a bitter race with TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz - as too close to call. 

So far this evening, not a single Senate seat has turned either way. 

The midterms are yet to turn up any majorly unexpected results, but there have been some historical moments already. 

The US now has it's first 'Gen Z' representative sitting in Congress - gun reformist and social justice activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost: 

Former president Donald Trump is hosting an election watch party at his resort of Mar-A-Lago.

If you'd like to, you can catch a glimpse here courtesy of The Associated Press: 

A court in Harris County, Texas, has ordered polling stations to stay open for an additional hour to make sure everyone can cast their ballot. 

Voters across the country are being reminded that even when polls close, if you're still in the line - you can still cast your vote and shouldn't leave the polling stations. 

UPDATE: An order has been issued to extend voting hours until 8 p.m. across Harris County's 782 polling locations. Anyone in line after 7 p.m. will need to vote on a provisional ballot.
👉 The Early Voting results will be posted after polls close.
📲 https://t.co/9LlKThEKrx pic.twitter.com/gRYI4FHIu6

— Harris County Elections (@HarrisVotes) November 9, 2022

Republicans have picked up a net three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that had previously been held by Democrats with 371 of 435 races not yet called, Edison Research has just projected.

For House races, Edison Research is tracking the net number of seats that flip from one party to another, as opposed to the net gain or loss of overall seats by either party.

The number of flips does not take into account seven new seats created during congressional redistricting and two races in which an incumbent Democrat and an incumbent Republican are facing each other due to redistricting.

So far, Republicans have won 45 seats in the 435-seat House and Democrats have won 19 seats, Edison projected.

Reporting by Reuters 

Results across the US are starting to come in now. 

Many seats are being called comfortably, and as expected - such as the re-election of Republicans governor Ron DeSantis and senator Marco Rubio in Florida. 

At state level, the historic win of Wes Moore as Maryland's first ever black governor has been attracting attention. 

More to follow shortly. 

After months of making eyes at the 2024 presidential nomination for the Republican party, former president Donald Trump has dropped even stronger hints that he will launch his campaign as early as next week. 

Republicans are divided over his dominance over the party - with a new Reuters poll suggesting that only 60% of the party faithful saying that he should run again: 

Worrying signs for incumbent US president Joe Biden continue as an early exit poll conducted by Edison Research shows his poor popularity during the first two years of office have had their impact at the polling both. 

Around seven out of ten voters told Edison that they would not like to see Biden run again as the Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential elections. 

A new exit poll from CBS News has shed light on voting patterns across the US for this year's congressional races - with abortion issues and inflation topping the list of key issues among voters: 

PRELIMINARY CBS NEWS EXIT POLL -- NATIONAL:

Which ONE of these issues mattered most in your vote?

Inflation 32%
Abortion 27%
Crime 12%
Gun policy 12%
Immigration 10%

— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) November 8, 2022

Counting in this year's midterm elections "could take days" according to the New York Times - and exit polls that we receive this evening could prove to be misleading. 

Mail-in ballots, the perrenial source of ire for Republican election deniers, cannot be counted across Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin after legislatures blocked local election officials from making a headstart with the count. 

The running sore of mail-in ballots skewing early signs of polling as votes get counted is likely to feature heavily in the coming hours and days. 

Problems with dozens of electronic vote counting machines in the battleground state of Arizona on Tuesday have been seized upon by former Republican President Donald Trump and his followers, who are claiming evidence of election fraud by Democrats.

Just a few hours into Election Day, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer told reporters that about 20% of electronic vote tabulation machines in the state's most populous county were malfunctioning, and technicians were being deployed to fix them.

The problem was that ballots were not lining up properly inside the machines and were not being read, Richer said, adding that despite the problems all votes would be counted.

Richer called the malfunctions "disappointing" and correctly predicted that election deniers and conspiracists such as Trump would "exploit" the issue.

Reporting by Reuters 

There are early signs that the same legal challenges chasing spurious allegations of electoral fraud and mismanagement could plague this year's midterms. 

More than 100 lawsuits were filed before today's elections, as some Republican candidates have already said they will not accept a loss or have planted doubt on the election process despite no evidence of fraud.

Read the full story here: 

For the first time, voters in some districts of Michigan - the state with the highest proportion of Arabs in the US - have the option to cast ballots in Arabic. 

Read the full story here, while we wait for exit polls to come in later this evening: 

According to TNA US correspondent Brooke Anderson, Democrats are facing an unusual challenge in one typically deep blue congressional district of Pennsylvania: 

"One congressional race Democrats are concerned about is one that they normally wouldn't be. In the deep blue redrawn District 12 in the Pittsburgh area, Democratic progressive candidate Summer Lee is running against Republican Mike Doyle. Unfortunately, for the Democrats, this is the same name as the Democrat (who is also a middle-aged white man with white hair) who has until now held the seat and will be retiring in January.

Lee's opponents appear to be taking advantage of the name confusion by airing TV ads that simply say "Mike Doyle, a name you can trust" without mentioning the political party. Democrats in Pennsylvania, including Representative Mike Doyle, have been trying to clear up the name confusion at rallies and through campaign ads. But it might be too late for some early voters.

Some Democratic party leaders have said some Pennsylvania voters have complained that they inadvertently voted for the wrong Mike Doyle. AIPAC, through its super-PAC the United Democracy Project, has spent more than $3 million in the primary and the general election in advertising and mailers to campaign against Lee."

The New Arab's US correspondent Brooke Anderson has given a round-up of why these midterms are the most talked-about in years:

"The 2022 US midterms are important because they will determine the majorities in the House and the Senate. Historically, the party that loses the presidential election wins the midterms. But in many swing states and districts, the polls show races that are too close to call, and Democrats see the chance for an upset.

"Eyes are also on former President Donald Trump, who is expected to announce after the midterms if he will run in 2024, a decision that could be based on whether or not Republicans win the governor races in key swing states, such as Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, as state governments administer election counting."

Pro-Israel lobby AIPAC has been working against some progressive Democrats in the build-up to the mid-terms, The New Arab's US correspondent Brooke Anderson has reported.

Among those targeted by the group is Summer Lee in the Pennsylvania primary race, with AIPAC reportedly spending $80,000 in postage messages against the Democrat.

A growing number of Democrats, particularly progressives, have been critical of the US' close relationship with Israel.

Read the full report here:

Both the Republicans are Democrats are pulling out big names to win over Americans during this decisive midterm election.

Pennsylvania has been targeted by the two parties, with former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama both in the battleground state to ramp up support for Republican and Democrat candidates.

Trump gave his support for TV celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, amid talk of a possible comeback by the former president in the 2025 elections.

Obama and President Joe Biden have rallied behind Senate candidate John Fetterman and governor candidate Josh Shapiro.