Midterm election results updates: Dems keep control of Senate with Nevada win
Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory in Nevada clinched the chamber for Democrats.
The 2022 midterm elections shaped up to be some of the most consequential in the nation's recent history, with control of Congress at stake.
All 435 seats in the House and 35 of 100 seats in the Senate were on the ballot, as well as several influential gubernatorial elections in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Democrats were defending their narrow majorities in both chambers and retained control of the Senate, though control of the House isn't yet clear. But a Republican flip of the lower chamber would be enough to curtail most of President Joe Biden's legislative agenda and would likely result in investigations against his administration and even his family.
Key updates:
Pelosi says House Democrats are 'outperforming expectations'
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said early Wednesday her party had defied pre-election predictions that they were slated to lose the majority while noting that the ultimate outcome was still unclear.
“While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic Members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations across the country," Pelosi said in a statement.
“As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast," she continued. “Many thanks to our grassroots volunteers for enabling every voter to have their say in our Democracy."
Heading into the midterms, Democrats maintained only a small majority hold on the House with Republicans needing to flip five seats for control.
The GOP had for months campaigned heavily on concerns about high inflation, the economy and public safety -- often highlighting President Joe Biden's low approval rating -- while Democrats had focused on abortion access, extremism and, in some races, messages on social issues and inequality.
As of early Wednesday, according to ABC News' projections, Republicans were estimated to have won 207 House seats to Democrats 188, with 40 more remaining unprojected.
-ABC News' Adam Carlson
Gretchen Whitmer projected to win reelection in Michigan
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is the projected winner of Michigan's gubernatorial race, fending off a challenge from Republican nominee Tudor Dixon.
Whitmer, elected in the blue wave in 2018, cast herself as a crucial backstop for abortion access while Dixon said she opposes abortion access. Preliminary exit poll results in Michigan showed abortion was a top issue for voters, unlike in other states where inflation topped voters' concerns, and 60% of Michigan voters said abortion should be legal in most or all cases.
Which Trump-backed candidates are projected to have lost?
With Dr. Mehmet Oz's projected loss in Pennsylvania, at least six candidates backed by former President Donald Trump have now been defeated so far.
New Hampshire's Don Bolduc: Bolduc was projected to be defeated tonight by Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan. Bolduc had reversed course on his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump has weighed in specifically on this loss on his platform Truth Social, claiming that had Bolduc "stayed strong and true" to those false claims he "would have won easily."
Pennsylvania's Doug Mastriano: Mastriano was projected to be defeated in his bid for governor tonight by Democrat Josh Shapiro. Mastriano is an election denier who helped spearhead Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania and attended the rally before the Jan. 6 riot and appeared in video walking through police lines.
Pennsylvania's Dr. Mehmet Oz: Oz was projected to lose to Fetterman tonight for Senate in one of the most closely watched races in the nation. Oz had "raised questions" about the election, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Maryland's Dan Cox: Democrat Wes Moore was projected to beat Trump-backed Dan Cox, who FiveThirtyEight rates as an election denier. He posted in an Facebook post that "I was there in Philadelphia in 2020 on President Trump’s team and I witnessed the fraud. We must never let them rig and steal our elections again."
Massachusetts' Geoff Diehl: Geoff Diehl was projected to lose tonight to Democrat Maura Healey in the race for governor. Diehl is an election denier, according to FiveThirtyEight. He said in an October 2021 statement "that the 2020 election was rigged," according to a local report.
New York's Lee Zeldin: Lee Zeldin was projected to be defeated tonight by Governor Kathy Hochul. The race had become tighter than expected in the last few weeks.
-ABC News' Olivia Rubin
Mike Lee projected to win Utah Senate race
ABC News can project that Republican Mike Lee will win Utah, clinching his third term in the U.S. Senate. Lee is projected to defeat his Democratic challenger Evan McMullin. McMullin said he called Lee to acknowledge the defeat.
"While tonight's results weren't what we hoped for, I can say with absolute confidence that we did something special here in Utah. To all the Utahns who put party politics aside to join our cross-partisan coalition: I am so proud of what we built here," McMullin tweeted.