2018 election results: Several races remain undecided - live updates
CBS News projects Democrats will take the House, a change in Washington that will mean more gridlock for President Trump's agenda, and congressional investigations into the president, his businesses, and Cabinet members.
Republicans are projected to keep control of the Senate.
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Broward County again at the center of turmoil in a Florida recount
As Florida heads towards a machine recount for the Senate and gubernatorial races, prominent Republicans are alleging voter fraud by Democrats trying to create new votes for their candidates. Republicans have not cited any evidence to back up their accusations, but both parties have expressed frustration with Broward County, whose beleaguered electoral system has been under scrutiny since ballot confusion played a major role in the 2000 presidential election.
Republican candidate Rick Scott, who is narrowly leading Nelson, filed a lawsuit against Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes on Thursday, claiming that Snipes is withholding information and should reveal how many ballots are left to count. He also filed suit against Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher.
Nelson filed a lawsuit Friday morning asking that the deadline for local election officials to file preliminary unofficial vote totals to the state be extended past noon Saturday, a deadline dictated by Florida law. If the margin between two candidates is half a percentage point or less by Saturday, the state must do a machine recount.
Broward County is at the center of the controversy in part because nearly 25,000 more votes were cast for governor than for the Senate, a discrepancy larger than the current margin between Nelson and Scott. The Broward County ballot was designed so that the Senate race appeared in the lower left-hand corner, below the instructions, spurring the theory that many voters missed the contest.
Several races remain undecided
On Friday, several races remain undecided -- 12 in the House, three in the Senate and three gubernatorial races.
In the Senate, the votes are still being tallied in the race between GOP Gov. Rick Scott and incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in Florida. And Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema recently overtook Republican Rep. Martha McSally in Arizona, where votes are also still being counted. Both of those races are likely headed for recounts. Mississippi's race has gone into a December runoff pitting incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith against Democrat Mike Espy.
Republicans will continue to control the Senate with at least 51 Senate seats. Democrats have won at least 44 seats. And there are also two independents who caucus with the Democrats.
Sinema takes narrow lead in Arizona Senate race
Democrat Kyrsten Sinema took a slim lead over Republican Martha McSally in the Arizona Senate race by a margin of 2,000 votes. This is the first time that Sinema has pulled ahead of McSally in the days since the election.
An additional 120,000 outstanding ballots were made available from Maricopa County Thursday. The county encompasses Phoenix and some of the state's liberal enclaves. There are an 345,000 ballots that needed to be counted per a knowledgeable source with the Arizona Secretary of State's office.
CBS News projects Democrats win three more House seats
CBS News has now called three additional House races in favor of Democrats. Democrat Lucy McBath defeated Republican Karen Handel in Georgia's 6th Congressional District, which Handel won in a special election in 2017. Elissa Slotkin won in Michigan's 8th Congressional District, and Kim Schrier won in Washington's 8th Congressional District.
Democrats now have a net gain of 30 seats in the House.
Brian Kemp resigns as GA secretary of state after declaring himself winner of gubernatorial race
Republican Brian Kemp resigned his position as the secretary of state in Georgia as he declared himself the winner in his tight race for for governor against Democrat Stacey Abrams. At a press conference today in Atlanta, Kemp announced he is moving forward with his transition to his new job.
Abrams has not conceded in the race, and her campaign said yesterday that all votes will not be certified until early next week. But Kemp said today that all votes other than provisional ballots have been counted. There are currently about 20,000 provisional ballots outstanding. "Even if she got 100 percent of those votes, we still win," Kemp said.
Andrew Gillum walks back concession
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum conceded to Republican Ron DeSantis on Tuesday evening, but seemed to walk back that concession in a statement released by his campaign Thursday morning.
DeSantis defeated Gillum by half a percentage point. The statement from Gillum spokesperson Johanna Cervone released Tuesday indicated that more ballots may have gone uncounted than initially believed.
"On Tuesday night, the Gillum for Governor campaign operated with the best information available about the number of outstanding ballots left to count. Since that time it has become clear that there was more uncounted ballots than was originally reported," Cervone said. "Our campaign, along with our attorney Barry Richard, is monitoring the situation closely and is ready for any outcome, including a state-mandated recount."
Arizona GOP sues to limit mail-in ballots in McSally-Sinema race
Republicans are suing to challenge the way some Arizona counties count mail-in ballots, the AP reports. Election officials are now tallying over 600,000 outstanding votes in the Senate race.
GOP Rep. Martha McSally is currently leading Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema by about 17,000 out of the 1.7 million votes counted so far in the Arizona Senate election.
Counting the mailed ballots in Arizona is a slow process. The signatures must first be confirmed before they can be counted, and if the country recorders can't verify the signatures, they can contact the voters to authenticate their ballots.
In the lawsuit, according to the AP, Republicans say that the state's 15 county recorders are not following a uniform standard for allowing voters to address problems with their mail-in ballots.
Mississippi Senate race to go to runoff
As no candidate obtained above 50 percent in the Mississippi Senate election, the top two vote-getting candidates, incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy, are headed to a rematch in a runoff election in December.
Republican Chris McDaniel, a conservative firebrand, trailed by several points behind Hyde-Smith and Espy.
Jon Tester holds onto Montana Senate race
Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has narrowly won re-election in Montana, defeating Republican Matt Rosendale. Rosendale had been endorsed by President Trump, who often visited Montana to rally on his behalf. Mr. Trump won Montana by 20 points in 2016.
Bill Nelson trails Rick Scott in Florida Senate race
Florida's Senate race has not yet been called. Republican Gov. Rick Scott is currently leading incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat, by over 50,000 votes. Just after midnight, Scott was declaring victory and planning ahead, telling supporters, "I'm certainly not going to D.C. to win a popularity contest. I'm going to D.C. to get something done."
Arizona Senate result still uncertain
Arizona's tight Senate race likely will not be called until later this week, since there are over 1 million outstanding early voting ballots that still must be counted, CBS News' Fin Gomez and Paula Reid report. Early Wednesday, Republican Rep. Martha McSally was leading Democrat Kyrsten Sinema by about 13,000 votes with 63 percent of the precincts reporting.
Nearly 1 million early voting ballots in Arizona were requested but had not submitted as of Monday.
Dean Heller loses Senate seat to Democrat Jacky Rosen
CBS News projects that Democrat Jacky Rosen has defeated incumbent Republican Dean Heller in a tough battle for one of Nevada's U.S. Senate seats.
Heller has held the seat since 2011, when he was named to fill a vacancy.
He was considered the most vulnerable Republican running for re-election to the upper chamber and wound up being the only GOP incumbent to lose. He was also the only one trying for another term in a state that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, though it was by a narrow margin.
Heller conceded earlier in the night. He was once a critic of President Trump but they became allies as the election neared.
Rosen portrayed Heller as a Trump rubber stamp.
Indicted Duncan Hunter projected to win reelection
Sixty counts against incumbent Rep. Duncan Hunter in California aren't stopping him from winning reelection. CBS News projects Hunter, who faces criminal charges for allegedly misusing campaign funds for personal use, will still keep his seat in the conservative San Diego area district.
Stacey Abrams says they'll make sure very vote is counted
Democrat Stacey Abrams took the stage in Georgia early Wednesday morning, saying they'll make sure every single vote is counted. She is not conceding.
Abrams, who won the support and campaign assistance of Oprah Winfrey, said this election has tested voters' faith. Some, she said, have worked hard to take their voices away and distract them.
Georgia had a slew of voting issues on Tuesday, and her opponent, Georgia secretary of state Brian Kemp, was accused of taking insufficient steps to protect voter security and access.
The race for top House positions begins
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the number three Democrat in the House and the highest-ranking African-American in the conference, will send a letter to colleagues announcing his intention to run for Democratic Whip. The position of whip is currently held by Rep. Steny Hoyer. Clyburn will not challenge party leader Nancy Pelosi or Hoyer for the top spot.
CBS News reported earlier on Tuesday that Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond sent a letter pressing for African American representation in either the speaker of the House or majority leader position if either job becomes available or if there is a change in leadership.
New York Democrats flip Republican House seats
Democrat Antonio Delgado has defeated Republican Rep. John Faso, and Democrat Anthony Brindisi has defeated Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney.
Along with Max Rose in Staten Island, this brings the number of House seats in New York which flipped to Democratic control up to three.
Trump calls Pelosi to congratulate her
President Trump called House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at 11:45 p.m. to congratulate her, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff Drew Hammill tweeted.
Hammill said Mr. Trump acknowledged Pelosi's call for bipartisanship in her remarks.
Josh Hawley projected to defeat Claire McCaskill in Missouri
CBS News projects Republican Josh Hawley will defeat Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri.
Abigail Spanberger projected to defeat Dave Brat in Virginia's 7th congressional district
CBS News projects Democrat Abigail Spanberger will defeat Republican incumbent Rep. Dave Brat, a huge upset in Virginia's conservative 7th district.
That district in Central Virginia hasn't had a Democrat represent it in decades.
Pelosi says Democrats will focus on health care, draining the "swamp" of special interests
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi -- who could again be Speaker of the House -- told supporters in Washington, D.C., that Democrats will focus on issues like health care and draining the "swamp" of special interests and dark money.
Perhaps more importantly, Pelosi did not focus on how Democrats will investigate the president, and didn't bring up impeachment once.
Pelosi thanked the "dynamic, diverse and incredible candidates who have taken back the House for the American people" and vowed to restore checks and balances to the Trump administration. The new Democratic majority, Pelosi said, would "lower the cost of health care, of prescription drugs, raise wages, and clean up corruption to work for all Americans."
She also promised, "We will have accountability and strive for bipartisanship with fairness on all sides" and a "bipartisan marketplace of ideas that makes our democracy strong."We have all had enough of division," she said. "Americans want peace. They want results."
Democrat Laura Kelly defeats Kris Kobach in Kansas gubernatorial race
CBS News projects Democrat Laura Kelly will win Kansas' gubernatorial race, a huge but not entirely unexpected blow for Republicans. She defeated Kris Kobach, an immigration hardliner who was endorsed by Mr. Trump.
Republican Leonard Lance loses in New Jersey House race
Four-term incumbent Republican Rep. Leonard Lance has lost his bid to Democrat Tom Malinowski.
McConnell and Trump have spoken
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Trump spoke Tuesday night, a McConnell aide tells CBS News correspondent Ed O'Keefe.
"The leader and the president had a great conversation tonight and he thanked the president for all his help," Antonia Ferrier, a spokeswoman for McConnell said.
Despite House losses, Trump declares midterms a "tremendous success"
President Trump took to Twitter for the first time Tuesday night to declare the evening a "tremendous success." He tweeted that with no mention of the House losses that, CBS News projects, will lead to Republican loss of the lower chamber.
"Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!" the president tweeted at 11:14 p.m.
Gillum concedes to DeSantis in Florida
Democrat Andrew Gillum has conceded the Florida gubernatorial race to Republican Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is a staunch supporter of President Trump.
Newsom, Feinstein projected to win in California
CBS News projects that Gavin Newsom will win California's gubernatorial race, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein will win re-election.
CBS News also projects that Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono wins re-election.
Several more Democrats flip House seats
Several Democrats have flipped Republican-held seats. Mary Scanlon has won in Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, Conor Lamb has won in Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District, Chrissy Houlahan took Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District, Dean Phillips has won Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, and Sean Casten has won Illinois' 6th Congressional District.
Elaine Luria flips Virginia House seat
Democrat Elaine Luria has defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Taylor in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District.
Jared Polis becomes first openly gay governor
Democrat Jared Polis is projected to win the Colorado gubernatorial race, making him the first openly gay person to be elected governor.
Haley Stevens flips Michigan House seat
Democrat Haley Stevens has defeated Republican Lena Epstein in Michigan's 11th Congressional District, which was previously held by Republican Rep. Dave Trott.
Colin Allred flips Texas House seat
Former NFL player Colin Allred, a Democrat, has defeated Republican Rep. Pete Sessions in Texas' 32nd Congressional District.
Heitkamp defeated in North Dakota
Democratic incumbent Sen. Heidi Heitkamp lost to Republican Kevin Cramer in North Dakota. Heitkamp was one of the most endangered Democratic senators up for re-election this year. Her favorability dropped after she voted not to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Cruz holds onto Texas Senate seat
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz held onto his Senate seat, after facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke. O'Rourke engaged the Democratic base in the state, as well as new voters. However, it wasn't enough for him to overtake Cruz.
Max Rose flips Staten Island seat
Democrat Max Rose defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Donovan in New York's 11th Congressional District in an upset. The district contains Staten Island and a sliver of Brooklyn, and was the only district in New York City to vote for President Trump in 2016. Now, it has elected a Democrat to serve in Congress.
Democrat Jason Crow projected to win in Colorado's 6th district
CBS News projects Democrat Jason Crow will win in Colorado's 6th congressional district, defeating Republican Rep. Mike Coffman and flipping another seat in favor of Democrats.
Democrat Mikie Sherrill projected to win in New Jersey's 11th district
CBS News projects Democrat Mikie Sherrill will win in New Jersey's 11th congressional district, flipping yet another seat for Democrats. The district has been represented by a Republican since 1985.
Mitt Romney projected to win Senate race in Utah
CBS News projects Republican and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney will win the Senate race in Utah.
Republican Carlos Curbelo concedes in Florida House race
Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo has conceded in Florida, for yet another Democratic pickup, CBS News' Rebecca Kaplan reports. Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell defeated him.
Speaking in Miami, Curbelo called to congratulate Powell on her victory and offered to assist her in any way possible, according to CBS News' Alan He. He lamented the partisanship that has riven the country and called for this to be a "night for healing this country." He said, "No matter who wins, if we don't heal as a country, if we don't start respecting appreciating each other again, even when we disagree then it's not going to matter who wins elections in the future."
Texas exit polling results
Voters in Texas are relatively split about what they think the most important problem is facing the country, according to exit polls. More than one-third of voters believe that health care is the most important problem and among them, more than two-thirds voted for Democrat Beto O'Rourke.
Of the third of voters who believe that immigration is the most important problem, about three-quarters support Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Nearly a quarter of voters things the economy is the country's biggest problem, and among them, the majority voted for Mr. Cruz.
Voters who believed that the nation's economy is in a good place supported Cruz, while those who felt the economy is poor supported O'Rourke. When asked whether tax laws passed last year affected their personal finances, the majority who were affected positively supported Cruz and the majority affected negatively supported O'Rourke.
Twenty-two percent of voters in Texas were voting in a midterm for the very first time. These voters leaned towards O'Rourke by 7 points, while return voters favored Mr. Cruz by 6 points.
Young voters overwhelmingly supported O'Rourke, 71-29 percent. Voters ages 30-44 leaned towards him, 51-47. Voters over the age of 45 favored Cruz, 58-41.
College graduates split their votes evenly between the two Senate candidates, while those without a degree voted for Cruz, 53-46 percent.
White evangelicals favored Cruz with 83 percent of their votes, while those not in this group supported O'Rourke by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.
-- David Jones
Joe Manchin projected to keep Senate seat in West Virginia
CBS News projects moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin will keep his Senate seat in West Virginia.
Manchin was the only Democrat to vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Marsha Blackburn projected to win Senate seat in Tennessee
CBS News projects Marsha Blackburn will win the Senate race in Tennessee. Blackburn has been running against Democrat Phil Bredesen.
Bredesen was endorsed by Taylor Swift, but President Trump stumped for Blackburn in the days ahead of the election.
Democrats projected to win in New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin
CBS News projects that Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin have won re-election.
Mike Braun flips Democratic Senate seat in Indiana
CBS News projects Republican Mike Braun has defeated Democrat Joe Donnelly in Indiana. Donnelly was considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election in the Senate.
Menendez wins in New Jersey
Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has fended off an unexpected challenge from Republican Bob Hugin. Menendez was investigated earlier this year in a trial which ended in a mistrial earlier this year.
Andy Barr holds onto House seat in Kentucky
CBS News projects that Republican Rep. Andy Barr narrowly won re-election in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District, after facing an unexpectedly close race from Democrat Amy McGrath. CBS News estimates that Barr won by nearly three points.
Donna Shalala projected to flip House seat in Florida
CBS News is projecting that Donna Shalala will win Florida's 27th Congressional District. This is a pick up for Democrats, as the seat was previously held by Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Sherrod Brown projected to win in Ohio
CBS News projects Sen. Sherrod Brown will win reelection in Ohio, an expected outcome, according to past polling.
Brown's opponent is Republican Jim Renacci.
Jennifer Wexton projected to flip House seat in Virginia
CBS News projects Democrat Jennifer Wexton will defeat Republican Barbara Comstock in Northern Virginia. This is the first seat projected to flip in the House.
The old balance of power in the House
Republicans have controlled the House of Representatives since 2011, following the 2010 tea party wave that swept dozens of GOP members into office. Here's the partisan breakdown of the House as it stood before Tuesday:
- Seats needed for a majority: 218
- Republican members: 235
- Democrats: 193
- Vacancies: 7 (5 former Republicans, 2 former Democrats)
Competitive House seats aren't clustered by geography. There were several critical races all over the country, including Democrats vying for Republican seats in blue states such as California and New Jersey.