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:
Incumbents projected to win in Colorado, Vermont governor races
ABC News can project that Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis will win against Republican challenger Heidi Ganahl, and Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott will win against Democratic challenger Brenda Siegel, in their respective bids for reelection.
FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver says early results suggest good night for polling
FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver notes that early results are largely in line with what surveys had indicated, suggesting the polling industry may be in for a desperately needed reprieve after three consecutive cycles of results that were far off the mark.
Polls significantly underestimated Republicans' support by varying degrees in 2016, 2018 and 2020. Yet early results Tuesday line up well with what polls had forecasted.
"We aren’t seeing too many crazy, out-of-bounds outcomes so far. There are a lot of uncertain races, and there’s a fair bit of regional variation, and Democrats clearly have a Florida problem. But nothing too wild yet," Silver wrote in FiveThirtyEight's blog.
Click here to read more of FiveThirtyEight's ongoing midterm analysis.
DeSantis celebrates projected victory: 'I have fought the good fight'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke to supporters on Tuesday night after he was projected to win reelection.
"Florida was a refuge of sanity when the world went mad," DeSantis said. "We stood as a citadel of freedom for people across this country and indeed the world."
DeSantis touted Florida's policies on COVID-19, gender ideology and education as he made the case for himself as a Republican leader championing the party's values.
DeSantis is widely seen as a potential contender for the GOP nomination in 2024, and he spent much of his victory speech Tuesday discussing national politics.
"While our country flounders due to failed leadership in Washington, Florida is on the right track," he said, adding: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race in this first term and I have kept the faith."
"We've accomplished more than anybody thought possible four years ago but we've got so much more to do and I have only begun to fight," he concluded.
Female firsts projected in Arkansas, Massachusetts governor races
ABC News can project that Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders will win against Democratic challenger Chris Jones, electing her as the first female governor of Arkansas
ABC News can also project that Democrat Maura Healey will win against Republican challenger Geoff Diehl to become the first woman and openly gay politician elected governor of Massachusetts.