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US midterms: Democrats flip North Carolina Senate seatWorld
Roy Cooper’s projected win over Michael Whatley gives Democrats their first Senate flip of the night, but control of Congress remains undecided as counting continues.
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Early projections from the United States midterm elections point to an encouraging night for the Democrats, with the party flipping a Republican-held Senate seat in North Carolina while holding key seats in Georgia and New Hampshire. The results, projected by major American outlets on election night, still leave control of both chambers of Congress undecided, with counting continuing in the closest races.
The night’s first major Senate flip came in North Carolina, where former Democratic governor Roy Cooper was projected to defeat Republican Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. The seat had been held by Republicans since 2015 and was vacated by Senator Thom Tillis. Cooper’s victory was described by commentators as one of the most consequential Democratic wins of the night, as the party fights to overturn the Republicans’ 53-47 Senate advantage.
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In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff was projected to hold his seat, defeating Republican challenger Mike Collins, while in New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas was projected to win the Senate race against former Republican senator John Sununu. According to reports, Pappas becomes the first openly gay man elected to the United States Senate.
Not every early result went the Democrats’ way. In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody was projected to hold her seat against Democrat Angie Nixon, although the margin was reported to be closer than many had expected. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews was reported to be holding a slim lead over Republican Senator Darline Graham with around half of precincts counted.
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the chamber, and early counts showed that target still well out of reach. One live count in the early hours of Wednesday put the Senate at 36 to 31 including seats not contested this year, with neither chamber called. In the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats were contested, early called seats stood at 11 for the Democrats and 8 for the Republicans, with 218 seats needed for a majority.
There were notable House results too. In North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, Democrat Jamie Ager was reported to have flipped a seat Republicans had held for more than a decade, defeating Republican Jennifer Balkcom. Democrats also claimed victory in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, an area closely associated with President Donald Trump. In New Jersey, Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver won re-election, and in Pennsylvania, Chris Rabb won the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
In Illinois, NBC News and Fox News projected that Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton would become the state’s next senator. With many tight races still uncalled, officials and analysts cautioned that final control of Congress may not be known for days, as has happened in previous midterm elections.
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