Millions of Americans voted Tuesday in midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump. Early results pointed to voter discontent with his administration, but Democrats still faced a long path to winning control of Congress.
The Associated Press projected that Democrat Roy Cooper had defeated Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina, giving Democrats a crucial Senate gain. In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election by a wide margin, according to NBC and CBS. Other Democratic Senate victories included Chris Coons in Delaware and Chris Pappas in New Hampshire. Republicans also held seats, with Shelley Moore Capito re-elected in West Virginia and Ashley Moody projected to win in Florida.
Several Democratic governors also won re-election, including Wes Moore in Maryland, Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania and J. B. Pritzker in Illinois. Helena Foulkes won the governorship in Rhode Island, where Democrat Jack Reed also secured another Senate term.
The House and Senate remained unsettled as votes continued to be counted. At 3 a.m. Paris time, AP projections listed Democrats with 53 House seats and Republicans with 25, far short of the 218 needed for a majority. In the Senate, Democrats had won nine seats in the contests reported at that point, compared with two for Republicans; the parties held 43 and 33 seats respectively, while Republicans led in early counts in several states still outstanding.
Trump, who followed the results from the White House, said he would veto Democratic-backed legislation if Republicans lost control of either chamber. He said he was prepared to be called “Mr. Veto.” Earlier in the evening, he also criticized Fox News in posts on Truth Social.
The election campaign had focused in part on the cost of living, the war with Iran and concerns about corruption in government. Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said the party was on the verge of a major shift in the country, while the final congressional outcome remained unknown.
Sources: Le Figaro.