Democrats clinch Senate control following projected Nevada win

A pleased President Biden — who is in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, attending the summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — told reporters Sunday morning that Sen. Chuck Schumer has "got a majority again."

"We're focusing now on Georgia," Mr. Biden said. "We feel good about where we are. And I know I'm a cockeyed optimist. I understand that from the beginning, but I'm not surprised by the turnout. I'm incredibly pleased by the turnout. And I think it's a reflection of the quality of our candidates. And they're all running on the same program. There wasn't anybody who wasn't running on what we did. They're all staying, sticking with it. And so, I feel good. I'm looking forward to the next couple years."

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott expressed frustration about the GOP's performance in the midterm elections.

"Election Day, our voters didn't show up. We didn't get enough voters," he said on Fox News Friday night.

"It was a complete disappointment. I think we've got to reflect now," Scott added. "What didn't happen, I think we didn't have enough of a positive message. We said everything about how bad the Biden agenda was. It's bad. The Democrats are radical, but we have to have a plan of what we stand for."

In Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, has won reelection, defeating Trump-backed GOP challenger Blake Masters, CBS News projected. 

Kelly, a former astronaut and U.S. Navy pilot, Kelly was first elected in 2020 in a special election after the death of Republican Sen. John McCain.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Wednesday that a runoff election will be held on Dec. 6 between the top two Senate candidates, Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, the former football star.

Raffensperger said work was already underway to prepare for the next round of voting.

"Our office has already begun the behind-the-scenes work to start building the ballots. So ballots are being built as we speak and counties are making preparations," he said, adding, "We'll make sure that we have honest and fair elections."

The closely-watched race for the U.S. Senate in Georgia between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will head to a runoff election, CBS News projects.

With a third-party candidate in the race, neither Warnock nor Walker is projected to clear the 50% threshold of votes needed to declare victory, setting up another showdown between the two at the ballot box on Dec. 6.

CBS News is projecting Republican Sen. Ron Johnson will win reelection in Wisconsin, defeating Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

Gabriel Sterling, the chief operating officer for the Georgia Secretary of State's office, tweeted early Wednesday that it's "safe to say" the election in Georgia will head to a runoff. The state has not yet made an official announcement. 

"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," he tweeted. 

 Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman was among the Democrats whom President Biden reached out to on election night. 

Mr. Biden sent a congratulatory text to Fetterman, a Biden adviser said. 

CBS News projected Fetterman would win the race against Republican Mehmet Oz. 

Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman appeared before supporters just before 1:30 a.m. Wednesday after he was projected the winner of the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, telling attendees he is "so humbled" by their backing.

"I never expected that we were ever going to turn these red counties blue, but we did what we needed to do and we had that conversation across every one of those counties, and tonight, that's why I'll be the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania," he told the cheering crowd.

Fetterman said he is "proud" of the race his campaign ran and stressed his positions supporting abortion rights, a minimum wage increase and for health care as a fundamental right.

"This race is for the future of every community all across Pennsylvania, for every small town or person that ever felt left behind, for every job that has ever been lost, for every factory that was ever closed, for every person that works hard but never got ahead," he said.

Fetterman also thanked the audience for waiting late into the night to celebrate his projected win over Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee won reelection in Utah, beating Independent candidate Evan McMullin, CBS News projects. 

It will be Lee's third term as senator. 

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democrat, has defeated Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in the battleground Senate race in Pennsylvania, CBS News projects.

Fetterman's victory is crucial for Democrats, who are now projected to flip the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.

Fetterman appeared on the campaign trail in the final weekend before Election Day alongside President Biden and former President Barack Obama. 

"It's official. I will be the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania," Fetterman tweeted. "We bet on the people of Pennsylvania - and you didn't let us down. And I won't let you down. Thank you."

The Pennsylvania Senate race is likely Democrat, CBS News estimates. 

Democratic Lt. Gov John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz have been neck-and-neck for the open Senate seat. 

The Senate race in Arizona is leaning Democrat, CBS News estimates. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is facing a challenge from Trump-backed Blake Masters.

Immigration has been one of the key issues in the race, according to a CBS News Battleground Tracker poll. Likely voters also listed economy and inflation as top issues.

Republican Rep. Ted Budd won the North Carolina Senate race against Democrat Cheri Beasley, CBS News projects. The projected win gives Republicans a victory in a battleground Senate race. 

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley won another six-year term in the Senate, beating Democrat Michael Franken, CBS News projects. At 89, the Iowa Republican is one of the oldest members of the Senate.

Trump-backed J.D. Vance won the Senate race in Ohio, defeating Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, CBS News projects. It was one of the more competitive races in the final weeks of the campaign.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, has won her reelection in the New Hampshire Senate race, CBS News projects. She defeats Republican Donald Bolduc. The race was considered one of 10 Senate battleground races by CBS News. 

As polls begin to close in the West, CBS News projects the Nevada Senate race between Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, a Democrat, and Republican Adam Laxalt is a toss-up. 

The governor's race in Nevada between incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak and Republican challenger Joe Lombardo is also a toss-up. 

CBS News projects that Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet will keep his Senate seat in Colorado, beating Republican Joe O'Dea. 

 Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer cruised to reelection, becoming New York's longest-serving senator, CBS News projected. Schumer was first elected to the Senate in 1998. 

Colorado's Senate race is leaning Democrat, CBS News estimates. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is running against Republican Joe O'Dea. 

Exit polls show a significant gender gap in the Pennsylvania Senate race between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz. 

Men are backing Oz by double-digits, while women are backing Fetterman by roughly the same margin, according to CBS exit polls. 

For men, the top issue is inflation. Women said abortion is the top issue. 

The Senate races in battlegrounds Arizona and Wisconsin are considered toss-ups, CBS News projects, as polls close in both states. 

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is facing Republican Blake Masters in Arizona. 

Incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is running against Democrat Mandela Barnes. 

Early exit polls find Pennsylvania voters rank abortion as the most important issue in the election (36%), with inflation (28%) ranked second most important. In most other states — and nationally — inflation was ranked as most important. 

Voters were split evenly as far as whether Fetterman's health was a concern. Fifty-five percent of voters say Oz has not lived in Pennsylvania long enough to represent the state effectively in the U.S. Senate. Exit poll percentages may have updated since this post was published.

In Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis both won the Latino vote, according to exit polls: 56% of Latinos voted for DeSantis; 54% for Rubio. Both lost the Hispanic vote in their previous elections in 2018 and 2016 respectively.

CBS News has characterized the New Hampshire Senate race as leaning Democratic. It was previously characterized as a toss-up. Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, the incumbent, is running against Republican Donald Bolduc. 

GOP candidate Katie Britt wins the U.S. Senate race in Alabama, defeating Democratic opponent Will Boyd, CBS News projects. Britt, the former chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, makes history with her win as the first woman elected to represent Alabama in the Senate.

CBS News projects Sen. Marco Rubio wins reelection in Florida against Democratic Rep. Val Demings. 

CBS News has characterized the Senate races in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire as toss-ups. 

Polls closed in the following states as of 8 p.m.:

• Alabama

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Florida 

• Illinois

• Maine

• Maryland  

• Massachusetts  

• Mississippi

• Missouri

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• Oklahoma

• Pennsylvania 

• Rhode Island 

• Tennessee

• Washington, D.C.

CBS News projects Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida wins reelection. In the closely-watched race in Pennsylvania, CBS News characterizes the race as a toss-up. CBS News also characterizes New Hampshire as a toss-up.

Incumbent Republican Sen. Rand Paul is projected to win reelection against Democrat Charles Booker. 

Nearly three in four voters were dissatisfied about the country as they headed to the polls Tuesday, according to early exit polling. That includes almost a third who said they were angry. Almost three-quarters said the economy is bad, and nearly half of voters said their family's finances are worse than they were two years ago.

The top issue overall that's driving voters to the polls is inflation. This is particularly true among those who are voting Republican. Abortion comes in second, especially among those voting Democratic.

— Eran Ben-Porath

At 7:30 p.m., polls closed in three more states:

• North Carolina  

• Ohio

• West Virginia 

The North Carolina and Ohio Senate races both are leaning Republican. North Carolina and Ohio are two of the most-watched Senate races this cycle. Former President Donald Trump held a rally Monday night in Ohio to rally Republicans for J.D. Vance. 

CBS News projects South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott wins reelection to the U.S. Senate, defeating Democratic challenger Krystle Matthews.

CBS News estimates the race for control of the House of Representatives leans Republican, as polls begin to close. 

 At 7 p.m. ET, polls closed in the following states:

• Georgia

• Indiana (some closed at 6 p.m.)

• Kentucky (some closed at 6 p.m.) 

• South Carolina

• Vermont

• Virginia  

If you're waiting in line to vote when polls close, you can still cast a ballot and it will be counted. Poll workers are legally obligated to let those in line vote. 

Georgia's Senate race is one of the most closely watched in the country, and a Republican victory there for Herschel Walker could indicate Republicans are poised to win elsewhere. CBS News projects the race as a toss-up as of 7 p.m. The state's governor's race is leaning towards the Republican, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

CBS News also projects that GOP Sen. Tim Scott will win his Senate reelection bid in South Carolina, and the Senate races in Indiana and Kentucky both lean Republican. Vermont's Senate race is leaning towards the Democrat, Rep. Pete Welch.

At 7 p.m. ET, polls closed in the following states:

• Georgia

• Indiana (some closed at 6 p.m.)

• Kentucky (some closed at 6 p.m.) 

• South Carolina

• Vermont

• Virginia  

If you're waiting in line to vote when polls close, you can still cast a ballot and it will be counted. Poll workers are legally obligated to let those in line vote. 

Georgia's Senate race is one of the most closely watched in the country, and a Republican victory there for Herschel Walker could indicate Republicans are poised to win elsewhere. CBS News projects the race as a toss-up as of 7 p.m. The state's governor's race is leaning towards the Republican, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

CBS News also projects that GOP Sen. Tim Scott will win his Senate reelection bid in South Carolina, and the Senate races in Indiana and Kentucky both lean Republican. Vermont's Senate race is leaning towards the Democrat, Rep. Pete Welch.

President Joe Biden's approval rating is underwater — that is, his disapproval his higher than his approval — in all 11 key battleground states where CBS News conducted statewide surveys: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

In each of these states, voters have negative views of the nation's economy. 

Right now, in most of the Senate battleground states, the issue of inflation is outpacing abortion in terms of the importance of the issue to voters. But in Pennsylvania, early exit polling shows abortion outpaces inflation as a concern for voters.

Voters also have Senate control on their minds — in each of the Senate battlegrounds where CBS News has conducted exit polls, voters said control of the Senate is important to their vote.

In Georgia's Senate race, where Democrat Raphael Warnock is defending his seat against a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker, voters said the qualities voters are looking for are honesty and integrity, as well as a candidate who shares their values. 

In Pennsylvania, the electorate is divided on whether Democrat John Fetterman is healthy enough to serve effectively as a U.S. senator. Right now, there is also a bit more concern that Republican Mehmet Oz has not lived in the state long enough to serve effectively.

*Exit poll percentages may have updated since this post was published.

—  Eran Ben-Porath

In an interview with CBS News correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns, Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan said he's focused on the economy, as many voters don't have the "luxury" to worry about the future of democracy.

Ryan said candidates need to focus on the economy because without a strong economy, people are susceptible to arguments being made by extremists. That, Ryan said, is why he's always been focused on the economy. If there's a strong, robust middle class, Ryan argued that people won't be looking to blame someone else. People day to day don't have the "luxury" of worrying about the future of democracy, Ryan said. People are worried about paying bills. 

Florida was once considered the perennial battleground state, going for President Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, then President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 and former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. But it has become more Republican-leaning in recent years, having gone for President Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. 

Three-term Democratic Rep. Val Demings was seen as a formidable candidate, and established herself earlier this summer as a strong fundraiser who has brought in more cash than two-term Sen. Marco Rubio. She gained national prominence as both one of the House impeachment managers in former President Trump's 2020 Senate trial (his first) and as one of the women considered by President Biden as a potential vice presidential nominee. Plus, her experience as Orlando's first female police chief has helped her defend against Republican attacks that Democrats want to defund the police  

But Rubio is still the favorite in November and while Demings controlled the airwaves in the months leading up to the state's August 23 primaries, the two sides have seen even spending since then ($18.4 million from Demings and $20 million from Rubio/NRSC, according to AdImpact). The "Florida First Project," a group that supported Rubio's unsuccessful 2016 presidential run, has also spent $1.3 million on ads to attack Demings and portray her as too close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

In their only debate, the two had emotional exchanges about abortion limits, assault weapon legislation and the value of the American Rescue Plan. Rubio has said he personally opposes abortion in all cases but pushed back on attacks by Demings by saying that every piece of legislation he has endorsed has exceptions, including Sen. Lindsey Graham's federal 15-week abortion ban that he co-sponsors. In turn, he accuses Demings of supporting taxpayer funding up until the moment of birth. Demings often pitted Rubio against the Florida voters themselves, saying he's a liar and thinks the voters are "gullible." The two were asked if they'd accept the results of the 2022 election, Rubio said he would because "Florida has good [election] laws." Demings didn't clearly answer the question, and when one of the moderators was about to press her a bit more on that, they were shut down by another moderator.

Polls close statewide at 8 p.m. ET

— Aaron Navarro, Musadiq Bidar, Sarah Ewall-Wice, and Zak Hudak  

The race for the open Pennsylvania Senate seat between Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz tightened into a virtual tie in the final weeks of the midterm campaign. 

Fetterman is still recovering from a stroke he suffered right before the May primary that left him struggling with his speech and auditory processing throughout the general election season. He did not return to the campaign trail until August.

The two are competing for retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey's seat. If Fetterman wins, it would give Democrats a pick-up in the evenly split Senate. 

Oz, a TV celebrity and heart surgeon, trailed Fetterman by double digits over the summer in the highly contentious race. Republicans are trying to hold onto the seat in a state President Biden won by just over 1% in 2020. 

Read more here.

Ohio, once a battleground state and now more consistently Republican, is seeing a surprisingly close race between Republican candidate J.D. Vance and Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who are running for the Senate seat left open by the retirement of GOP Sen. Rob Portman. 

Vance, 38, a political newcomer, is a Marine veteran, venture capitalist and author of the memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." He defeated six other Republicans in the May primary for the GOP nomination, boosted by the backing of former President Trump and billionaire Peter Thiel, who also provided $15 million for a pro-Vance super PAC. 

Ryan, 49, was first elected to the House in 2002 and is currently serving his 10th term representing Ohio's 13th Congressional District, which encompasses Youngstown and areas close to Akron. He has sought to distance himself from national Democrats throughout the race and focused his campaign on the economy and manufacturing.

Read more here. 

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, first elected in a special election 2020, is facing Republican Herschel Walker in one of the most closely-watched battles in the 2022 cycle. 

The CBS News Battleground Tracker poll from late September showed Warnock slightly leading, but within the margin of error. Since then, Walker has been rocked by allegations that he paid for at least one woman to have an abortion. Walker has denied the allegations, and national Republicans have stuck by him. 

As is the case in many states, the economy has been the top issue for voters in Georgia, according to a recent poll by the University of Georgia.

There is also a third-party candidate in the race, and if no candidate wins at least 50%, a runoff would be held Dec. 6.

Georgia was one of the closest races in the 2020 election, with President Joe Biden winning the state by around 10,000 votes. Both of its Senate races went to runoff elections, with Warnock defeating Republican Kelly Loeffler. In the other race, Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated David Perdue, who had been leading going into the runoff.

This year's race is another crucial one for both parties in the race for control of the Senate.

Early voting shattered records, with more than 2.5 Georgia residents voting ahead of Election Day, according to the secretary of state's office.

Polls close at 7 p.m. ET. 

Read more here. 

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is in a tossup race to defend her seat against Republican Adam Laxalt, who succeeded her as Nevada's attorney general six years ago.

Cortez Masto, 58, is considered to be the most vulnerable Democratic senator fighting for reelection, and if Laxalt defeats her, it will be a crucial pickup for Republicans looking to flip the seat and gain control of the upper chamber.

Cortez Masto became the first Latina senator when she won the race in 2016 to succeed the late Sen. Harry Reid when he retired at the end of his term, and this cycle's contest could be decided by a razor-thin margin — she and Laxalt are neck-in-neck heading into Election Day, according to a CBS News poll.

Read more here. 

Conservative Republican Rep. Ted Budd and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley are running for the retiring North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr's seat in a state that has a Democratic governor but was won by former President Donald Trump by just over a point in 2020.

Budd, 51, has represented North Carolina's 13th Congressional District since 2017. An endorsement from President Trump and backing from the Club for Growth helped him decisively win a crowded Republican primary that included former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker. 

If Beasley wins, she would flip a GOP seat and would be the only Black woman serving in the Senate, as well as the first Black woman elected statewide for federal office in North Carolina history. Beasley, 56, was first appointed to the North Carolina Supreme Court as an associate justice in 2012 and was appointed as chief justice by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2019, making her the first Black woman to serve as chief justice on the state's highest court. 

Read more here. 

In Colorado, incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is facing Joe O'Dea, a rare moderate Republican who has broken from — and been attacked by — former President Donald Trump.

O'Dea, a political newcomer, is pitching himself as the "Republican Joe Manchin," and he has said he would "actively" campaign against former President Trump in the primary if he were to run for reelection, igniting Trump's ire. "MAGA doesn't vote for stupid people with big mouths," the former president said in a statement. 

Bennet, also a moderate, is running for his third term as senator. He's worked with Republicans on issues like expanding the Child Tax Credit and supporting mental health and serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, as well as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and Senate Committee on Finance. 

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

Read more here. 

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, who was first elected to the Senate in 2016 by 0.1% of the vote after serving as New Hampshire governor since 2013, is being challenged by Republican Don Bolduc.

Hassan portrayed herself on the campaign trail as a moderate Democrat willing to work across the aisle with Republicans to get things done and went after Bolduc as an extremist and election denier. She has maintained a lead in the polls, but the race has tightened as the campaign hit the final stretch. 

Former President Donald Trump backed Bolduc last week. 

Polls close in New Hampshire at 8 p.m. ET.

Read more here.

Wisconsin's Senate race between Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes could come down to razor-thin results if it stays on trend with recent election outcomes in the state. 

The Republican incumbent had a slight lead in the closing weeks, with a CBS News poll from October showing him with a one-point lead over Barnes, though other polls showed Johnson with a larger lead. 

Johnson got a boost from voters' concerns about crime and economic issues, while Barnes had strong support from voters' who saw abortion as one of the top issues. 

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

Read more here. 

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is defending his seat in hopes of winning his first full term in the Senate against Trump-backed Republican challenger Blake Masters.

A former astronaut and U.S. Navy pilot, Kelly was first elected in 2020 in a special election after the death of Republican Sen. John McCain.

Masters is a Stanford-educated venture capitalist and political newcomer who ran billionaire Peter Thiel's foundation, which gives fellowships to entrepreneurs to drop out of college. And he alsowas also the chief operating officer of Thiel's investment firm, Thiel Capital.

Read more here.