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/Republicans were favored to wrest control of the U.S. House of Representatives away from President Joe Biden’s Democrats based on early returns in Tuesday’s midterm elections, though the prospects of a “red wave” appeared to have dimmed.
With polls closed across most of the country, Republicans had flipped five Democratic seats in the U.S. House, Edison Research projected, the very number needed to capture a majority and cripple Biden’s legislative agenda.
But importantly, that number can change as close to 200 of the 435 House races had yet to be called, including some with vulnerable Republican incumbents.
Early results suggested Democrats would avoid the type of wipeout election that some in the party had feared, given Biden’s sagging approval rating and voter frustration over inflation.
But even a narrow Republican House majority would be able to block Biden’s priorities while launching politically damaging investigations into his administration and family.
The U.S. Senate remained too close to call, with pivotal races in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona all looking like toss-ups. The Georgia race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff, possibly with the Senate at stake.
Democrats currently control the 100-seat Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break any 50-50 ties.
In addition to every House seat, 35 Senate seats and three dozen governors’ races are on the ballot. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, defeated Democratic Representative Charlie Crist, Edison projected.
The final outcome of the congressional races is unlikely to be known any time soon. More than 46 million Americans voted ahead of Election Day, either by mail or in person, according to data from the U.S. Election Project, and state election officials caution that counting those ballots will take time.
High inflation and abortion rights were voters’ top concerns, exit polls showed.
