Midterm results – live: Republicans projected to take House as Kevin McCarthy wins initial GOP speaker vote

Oliver O'Connell,Andrew Naughtie,Gustaf Kilander and Shweta Sharma
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Republicans are just one victory shy of the 218 seats the party needs to secure a majority to retake control of the House following a series of GOP victories called in late Monday evening.

Counting is still going on across the country, but the GOP is leading in four House races that have yet to be called. However, the GOP’s majority looks set to be very slim, a situation that will make things difficult for its leadership – particularly Kevin McCarthy, who is scrambling to put together the votes he needs to be elected speaker.

Meanwhile, the Democrats are set to retain control of the Senate, securing 50 seats already with hopes of retaining another in a runoff in Georgia next month. Many Republican Senators have criticised their leader, Mitch McConnell, since the election, but others have blamed Donald Trump for their failure to retake the upper chamber.

Speaking about elections from Indonesia where he is attending the G20 summit, Mr Biden said the midterm results showed the international community that the US is “ready to play” and that it wants to remain “fully engaged in the world”.

Key points

AP Calls another California race for Democrats

00:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Larry Hogan says Trump should sit out 2024 election for good of Republicans

00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Larry Hogan says that Donald Trump has cost the GOP the last three elections and should sit out 2024.

The Maryland governor blamed the one-term president for the party’s disappointing performance in the midterms that saw Democrats retain control of the US Senate and the House remaining still too close to call.

“It’s basically the third election in a row that Donald Trump has cost us the race, and it’s like, three strikes, you’re out,” Mr Hogan told Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union.

GOP governor Larry Hogan says Trump should sit out 2024 election

Gaetz hits out at McCarthy

00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump accused of ‘stealing’ from Herschel Walker campaign

Tuesday 15 November 2022 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s campaign has accused Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, of “deceptive” fundraising.

Mr Walker is set to face Senator Raphael Warnock in a runoff in Georgia on 6 December after neither man won a majority of the vote during last week’s election.

But Scott Paradise, Mr Walker’s campaign manager, called out Republicans who advertised fundraising for Mr Walker and called on them to share more of the money, NBC News reported.

Eric Garcia has the story.

Trump accused of ‘stealing’ from Herschel Walker campaign with fundraising emails

Tuesday 15 November 2022 23:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Politico’s Christopher Cadelago reports that at Mar-a-Lago, Mike Lindell of MyPillow fame says the worst thing that could have happened in the midterms was a “red wave” because then nobody would take his claims of faulty voting machines seriously.

Mr Lindell also suggested that former President Donald Trump would be spreading “a message of hope” tonight and that it’s a waste of time for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to even think about challenging Trump.

McCarthy proclaims Democrat era over

Tuesday 15 November 2022 23:24 , Oliver O'Connell

GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy: “I’m proud to announce the era of one-party Democrat rule in Washington is over.”

Watch:

Sean Hannity’s sulking announcement of Arizona governor results goes viral: ‘Weak hypocritical sore loser’

Tuesday 15 November 2022 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Sean Hannity was labelled a “hypocritical sore loser” for taking a cheap shot at Katie Hobbs while morosely calling the Arizona governor’s race for her live on-air.

“Apparently they did have a drop in Arizona and Fox is projecting that Democratic Secretary of State, who should have recused herself, Katie Hobbs has been elected governor of Arizona,” the Fox News host announced toward the end of his 8pm show on Monday.

A clip of Mr Hannity’s unenthusiastic race call had racked up nearly one million views by Tuesday morning, 13 hours after being posted to Twitter by the @Acyn account.

Mr Hannity’s suggestion that Ms Hobbs, as secretary of state, should withdrawn from having oversight of the Arizona elections brought comparisons to the Georgia governor’s race in 2018, when Republican Brian Kemp beat Stacey Abrams after refusing to recuse himself as secretary of state.

Radio host Michelangelo Signorile One weighed in on Twitter, saying: “Did I forget them telling us Brian Kemp needed to recuse himself as Secretary of State in GA in first run for gov?”

Read more:

Sean Hannity’s sulking announcement of Arizona governor result goes viral

Democrats sue for Saturday voting in Georgia Senate runoff

Tuesday 15 November 2022 22:15 , The Associated Press

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock‘s campaign and Democratic groups are suing the state of Georgia to overturn guidance by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger that counties can’t offer Saturday voting ahead of next month’s Senate runoff election.

The lawsuit, filed late Monday by the Democratic Party of Georgia, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Warnock campaign, challenges the state’s finding that it would be illegal to hold early voting on Nov. 26, the day after a state holiday. The lawsuit says the state’s interpretation hurts Warnock in particular because Democrats tend to push early voting more than Republicans.

The race between Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, is headed to a Dec. 6 runoff after neither candidate won a majority of votes in the midterm election. Democrats have already secured control of the Senate but are hoping to increase their narrow margin with a Warnock victory.

“Illegal attempts to block Saturday voting are another desperate attempt by career politicians to squeeze the people out of their own democracy and to silence the voices of Georgians,” Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “We’re aggressively fighting to protect Georgia voters’ ability to vote on Saturday.”

Raffensperger dismissed the lawsuit as politics.

Read more:

Democrats sue for Saturday voting in Georgia Senate runoff

McConnell gives election post-mortem

Tuesday 15 November 2022 21:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Mitch McConnell delivered a post-mortem of the midterm elections. He said the Republican Party underperformed with independents and moderates because their impression of many in the party was “chaos, negativity, excessive attacks” that “frightened” voters.

Senator McConnel says he never predicted a red wave because the polling didn’t indicate there was one.

“We were not dealing with issues in a responsible way,” he says. Mr McConnell also says the party was particularly crushed by independent voters in Arizona and New Hampshire.

McConnell: ‘I don’t own this job'

Tuesday 15 November 2022 21:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Mitch McConnell on Senator Rick Scott challenging him to be Senate Republican Leader: “I don’t own this job. Anybody in the conference is certainly entitled to challenge me. I welcome the contest.”

Record 12 women to serve as governors, with notable firsts

Tuesday 15 November 2022 21:45 , The Associated Press

A record 12 women will take their seats as their state’s highest-ranking elected officials when the nation’s governors are sworn in this winter.

The number tops the high mark set in 2004 of nine, with The Associated Press’ calling the Arizona governor’s election for Democrat Katie Hobbs on Monday, as well as Democrat Maura Healey in Massachusetts and Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Arkansas winning last week’s elections.

“This is not an incremental growth. We’re still far from political parity for women serving as chief executives. But it does feel like a breakthrough,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “It’s significant particularly because these chief executive positions have been very hard to crack. These women in many ways disrupt fundamentally who a chief executive can be.”

Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and White House press secretary during the Trump administration, will be the first woman to become her state’s governor. Dobbs, on the other hand, will be her state’s fifth woman in the governorship when she takes the oath of office in early January.

The dozen are decidedly Democratic in their makeup, with eight belonging to the party compared to four Republicans. That’s in keeping with more women serving in elected office who identify as Democrats than Republicans in the U.S. House, Senate and in state legislatures.

Read more:

Record 12 women to serve as governors, with notable firsts

Rick Scott to challenge Mitch McConnell for control of GOP Senate caucus

Tuesday 15 November 2022 21:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Rick Scott will challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for control of GOP leadership in the upper chamber, a move that comes days after Mr McConnell’s caucus failed to unseat a 50-vote Democratic majority in the midterm elections.

The Florida senator, who only joined the Senate in 2019, announced his plans to mount a bid for leadership of the caucus on Tuesday at the Senate GOP’s closed-door meeting; multiple news outlets confirmed the development.

John Bowden has the full story.

GOP’s Rick Scott to challenge Mitch McConnell for control of Senate caucus

Nevada GOP candidate for US Senate concedes race to Democrat

Tuesday 15 November 2022 21:15 , The Associated Press

The Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada conceded on Tuesday that he lost, saying in a statement that although the race was very close, he won’t contest the result.

“I am confident that any challenge of this election would not alter the ultimate outcome,” GOP candidate Adam Laxalt said in a tweet that campaign adviser Robert Uithoven confirmed was authentic.

Laxalt, who had the vocal endorsement of former President Donald Trump, said he called Cortez Masto to congratulate her on her victory. The Associated Press called the race on Saturday, declaring Cortez Masto the winner.

Cortez Masto’s campaign did not immediately respond to messages about Laxalt’s concession. It came a week after the Nov. 8 election.

Nevada’s vote count took several days partly because of the mail voting system created by the Legislature in 2020 that requires counties to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive up to four days later. Laxalt had an early lead that dwindled after late-counted ballots came in from the state’s population centers in Las Vegas and Reno.

Read more:

Nevada GOP candidate for US Senate concedes race to Democrat

MSNBC reporter launches blistering takedown of Kari Lake’s ‘Trumpism’ after Arizona governor election loss

Tuesday 15 November 2022 20:45 , Johanna Chisholm

Fresh off the trail of covering Republican Kari Lake’s failed bid for the governor’s mansion in Arizona, an MSNBC reporter did not mince his words when discussing the election-denying candidate’s campaign.

Vaughn Hillyard, a correspondent for the news outlet who originally hails from Arizona, unloaded on the Trump-endorsed candidate while speaking with Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on Tuesday, less than a day after the race was called for Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs.

Ms Hobbs was declared the winner almost a week after election day as she led by roughly 20,000 votes, with 50.4 per cent of the vote to Ms Lake’s 49.6 per cent.

Read more:

MSNBC reporter launches blistering takedown of Kari Lake after election loss

Senator Rick Scott announces bid to unseat Mitch McConnell

Tuesday 15 November 2022 20:32 , Oliver O'Connell

'Vindication': Schumer lifts Democrats with majority stunner

Tuesday 15 November 2022 20:15 , The Associated Press

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was eating Peking duck at a Chinese restaurant with family and friends on Manhattan’s West side Saturday evening when an aide called with urgent news: Democrats would win Nevada’s Senate seat and keep their majority.

The restaurant erupted in cheers as the news flashed across a television screen, and a group celebrating a birthday sent him a slice of cake.

But Schumer didn’t stay to celebrate. He was soon rushing back across town for an impromptu, late-night news conference in the lobby of a building near his office.

“I will once again be majority leader,” he declared to the cameras, almost giddily.

The 2022 election was “a victory and a vindication for Democrats,” he said.

Read more:

'Vindication': Schumer lifts Democrats with majority stunner

Democrats pick up another Colorado district

Tuesday 15 November 2022 20:01 , Oliver O'Connell

The Associated Press has called the close race for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District for Democrat Yadira Caraveo.

Rep Caraveo faced off a challenge from Republican state Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer in the new district, which stretches north from Denver’s suburbs to Greeley.

Last Wednesday night, Ms Kirkmeyer tweeted that she called Ms Caraveo to concede, but the AP did not call the race until today.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for,” Ms Kirkmeyer wrote on Twitter, “I am proud of our team and our campaign.”

Ms Caraveo subsequently claimed victory, writing in a statement: “It’s the honor of my lifetime to receive this vote of confidence to serve working families from Greeley to Commerce City in Washington, DC.”

Rep Caraveo is a pediatrician and defender of abortion rights who voted for police accountability after protests that followed the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. She hoped her cultural lineage as the child of Mexican immigrants would attract support in a swing district where Latinos comprise nearly 40 per cent of voters.

Ms Kirkmeyer, a former Weld County commissioner, pledged to get tough on crime and unleash the oil and gas industry, which has a significant presence in the district. She once supported a blanket ban on abortion but now says she would respect exceptions if the mother’s life is in danger.

With reporting from the Associated Press.

Kevin McCarthy clears first test in bid to become House speaker

Tuesday 15 November 2022 19:43 , Oliver O'Connell

House Republicans have voted 188-31 by secret ballot to nominate House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker of the House, the Associated Press reports. He faces a long slog ahead to quell any opposition to his appointment from the right of the party.

Republicans remain on track to retake the House majority, putting Mr McCarthy on track to take up the role in the new Congress and this was an important first hurdle to clear. Come January though he will need 218 votes and will now have to court those who did not vote for him who will want concessions made in exchange for their support.

Mr McCarthy faced a challenge from Rep Andy Biggs, former chair of the House Freedom Caucus. He was nominated by Rep Chip Roy of Texas.

At the same meeting, House Republican Whip Steve Scalise was elected majority leader unanimously by voice vote.

California wins leave GOP poised to seize US House control

Tuesday 15 November 2022 19:15 , The Associated Press

Two threatened U.S. House Republicans in California triumphed over Democratic challengers Monday, helping move the GOP within a seat of seizing control of the chamber while a string of congressional races in the state remained in play.

In a bitter fight southeast of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Michelle Steel defeated Democrat Jay Chen in a district that was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans, who comprise the largest group in the district, a stronger voice on Capitol Hill. It includes the nation’s largest Vietnamese community.

East of Los Angeles, Republican Rep. Ken Calvert notched a win over Democrat Will Rollins. With 80% of the votes tallied, Calvert, the longest serving Republican in the California congressional delegation, established a nearly 5,500-vote edge in the contest.

Ten races in the state remained undecided as vote-counting continued, though only a handful were seen as tight enough to break either way.

It takes 218 seats to control the House. Republicans have locked down 217 seats so far, with Democrats claiming 205.

Read more:

California wins leave GOP poised to seize US House control

Shapiro to take office with mandate from Pennsylvania voters

Tuesday 15 November 2022 18:45 , The Associated Press

Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor-elect of Pennsylvania, will take office with a decisive mandate from voters, who overwhelmingly rejected a Republican drive to pare back abortion rights and voting laws in the premier battleground state.

Shapiro, the state’s two-term attorney general, scored a massive 14 percentage point win over Republican rival Doug Mastriano in last week’s midterm election, smashed state campaign finance records and became the first candidate since 1966 to succeed a governor of the same party in Pennsylvania.

Democrats in the state also flipped a U.S. Senate seat — just the second time since the Civil War that the state elected two Democrats to the chamber — while winning a majority of the state’s congressional seats and possibly even control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said the election results showed voters’ eagerness to protect abortion rights and the sanctity of elections from subversion by far-right Republicans who promoted former President Donald Trump‘s lies about voter fraud in his 2020 loss.

“In a lot of ways, it was a triumph over extremism as much as anything, and we probably underestimated that in the election,” Casey said.

Read more:

Shapiro to take office with mandate from Pennsylvania voters

West Virginia's GOP Rep. Mooney announces 2024 Senate run

Tuesday 15 November 2022 18:15 , The Associated Press

West Virginia U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney didn’t wait long to announce a run for Senate in 2024.

Just a week after breezing to reelection for a fifth term in Congress, the Republican backed by former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is entering the race for the seat held by the only Democrat left standing in statewide office in West Virginia: U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin.

The announcement wasn’t a surprise. Mooney has for months been taking shots at Manchin, whose profile has been raised nationally by his role as a swing vote on several major spending packages in the divided U.S. Senate. Manchin has not yet officially announced whether he’ll run for reelection in 2024.

Mooney openly expressed frustration after Manchin endorsed outgoing Republican Rep. David McKinley in the state’s May primary. The two GOP congressmen were pitted against each other after population losses cost West Virginia a U.S. House seat, and Mooney won handily.

Mooney may have felt the need to announce quickly as a warning shot to other Republicans considering the race. Gov. Jim Justice and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey have both mused out loud about the possibility of running for Manchin’s Senate seat.

Read more:

West Virginia's GOP Rep. Mooney announces 2024 Senate run

New Mexico begins certification process for midterm election

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:45 , The Associated Press

County commissioners in southern New Mexico are weighing whether to certify local results of the midterm election in a once-routine process that in some locations has become a focal point for those voicing distrust in voting systems.

Otero County’s three county commissioners were scheduled to review results of the Nov. 8 election for any discrepancies at a Tuesday morning meeting in Alamogordo.

The Otero County commission in June initially refused to certify primary election results while citing distrust of voting systems used to tally the vote — even though the county’s top election official said there were no problems. The commission reversed course on a 2-1 vote to certify the primary after Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver successfully petitioned the state Supreme Court to issue an order directing the local board to certify.

Read more:

New Mexico begins certification process for midterm election

VOICES: Kevin McCarthy faces ‘an almost impossible task’ if Republicans win the House

Tuesday 15 November 2022 17:15 , Eric Garcia

As the Democrats’ chances to hold the House majority narrow, the floodgates for Kevin McCarthy’s own personal hell are about to open. A thin majority will mean Mr McCarthy is more of a prisoner to archconservatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert (who looks increasingly more likely to win her race in Colorado’s 3rd district).

To get a better idea of what’s going to happen for House Republicans, The Independent spoke with Brendan Buck. Mr Buck is familiar with the internal GOP strife as he served as Speaker John Boehner’s press secretary and a counsellor to Speaker Paul Ryan, during which both men had to manage cantankerous right-wing factions.

Mr Buck quickly diagnosed the disease that caused Republicans to have a less-than-stellar night.

“We have an abortion problem,” he said. “Our party’s position on this issue is out of step with the majority of the country and for a lot of voters is something that’s fired a lot of passion. And we saw that in the turnout was just much higher for Democrats than than we thought.”

Read more:

What awaits Kevin McCarthy if Republicans win: ‘This is an almost impossible task

Lincoln Project co-founder calls out Pence on latest Trump comments

Tuesday 15 November 2022 16:46 , Andrew Naughtie

Mike Pence has come closer than ever to saying Donald Trump should not be president again, going so far as to imply the GOP will have “better choices” in 2024 – but he is still declining to specifically disavow his former boss, who incited a mob to descend on the US Capitol where they called for Mr Pence to be hanged.

This has not gone down well with many of the former president’s critics on the right, notably Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt:

Poll shows DeSantis support higher than ever

Tuesday 15 November 2022 16:15 , Andrew Naughtie

According to polling firm Morning Consult, Ron DeSantis is detectably gaining ground in 2024 primary surveys, with his support among potential GOP primary voters rising from 26 per cent before the midterms to 33 per cent now. Mike Pence, meanwhile, has sunk slightly from 7 per cent to 5 – while Donald Trump has fallen from 48 to 47.

Scorned right-wing congressman denounces Trump

Tuesday 15 November 2022 15:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Mo Brooks, a former ally of Donald Trump who whipped up a crowd at the 6 January rally with his fiery rhetoric, has now described the former president as a “dishonest, disloyal, incompetent [and] crude” politician.

With many in the GOP openly criticising Mr Trump after the midterm elections disappointment, the Alabama congressman said it would be a “bad mistake” for Republicans to have Mr Trump as their nominee in 202.

Mr Brooks has said he will retire from politics after his sixth term in Congress ends on 3 January 2023. He earned an endorsement from Mr Trump last year for the 2022 Senate primary before he withdrew it, saying the Alabama representative “went woke”.

According to Mr Brooks, “Donald Trump has proven himself to be dishonest, disloyal, incompetent, crude and a lot of other things that alienate so many independents and Republicans.”

Shweta Sharma reports.

Former Trump ally Mo Brooks denounces him as ‘dishonest, incompetent and crude’

Follow our House results tracker

Tuesday 15 November 2022 15:15 , Andrew Naughtie

The race for control of the House of Representatives remains close, with Republicans on the brink of winning a majority despite a disappointing night in last week’s midterm elections.

As the last results come in, The Independent is updating a live tracker of control of the House of Representatives. All members of the US House are up for re-election every two years, and either party will need to win at least 218 seats to secure a majority.

Follow our House results tracker below.

House results: Follow live midterm election tracker

Walker accuses Warnock of abandoning children (really)

Tuesday 15 November 2022 14:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Herschel Walker’s Georgia Senate campaign has been dogged by allegations that he paid former girlfriends to have abortions, as well as revelations that he had lied even to his own campaign staff about how many children he has. Yet headed into his runoff with incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock, Mr Walker appears to be trying to flip the criticism on his opponent – much to the disbelief of one of the women from his own past:

Kinzinger and Cheney ridicule Lake

Tuesday 15 November 2022 14:15 , Andrew Naughtie

Kari Lake’s bitter tweet disavowing her election defeat in Arizona has been roundly mocked since she sent it last night – including by the two Republicans who sit on the January 6 committee, both of whom long been warning of the consequences if election deniers like her take high office:

Liz Cheney sends perfect revenge tweet as Kari Lake loses Arizona: ‘You’re welcome’

Kellyanne Conway: “phony polls” put GOP on a “sugar high”

Tuesday 15 November 2022 13:45 , Andrew Naughtie

Former Trump advisor and 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway appeared on Fox News last night to discuss the surprising outcome of the midterm elections with hardline right-wing host Laura Ingraham – and it seems her view is that the right is in an echo chamber of its own making.

Ms Conway, who herself has a background in polling, alluded to Republicans “cherry-picking” right-leaning polls they liked, possibly a reference to Trafalgar Group, whose releases right up to election day forecast a “red wave” that ultimately turned out to be more of a puddle.

Report: Russia delayed Kherson announcement to avoid helping Biden

Tuesday 15 November 2022 13:15 , Andrew Naughtie

As Joe Biden takes part in the G20 summit in Indonesia, a new report from CNN claims that the Kremlin delayed its official announcement that its troops were withdrawing from the Ukrainian city of Kherson specifically to avoid giving the Democrats a political win on the eve of the midterm elections.

Whereas the Republican Party is starkly divided on whether or not helping Ukraine fight off Russia’s invasion is in the American national interest, the White House has largely galvanised the Democratic Party in support of its efforts to directly aid and supply Volodymyr Zelensky’s government and military.

The Independent’s Bel Trew is on the ground in Ukraine.

Tales of torture emerge as Kherson celebrates end of Russian occupation

ICYMI: Don Jr rants about ‘brainless’ election winners

Tuesday 15 November 2022 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump Jr has finally returned to social media and ranted about “brainless” election winners after two days of humiliating midterm silence.

The former president’s eldest son had predicted a “bloodbath” for Democrats on election day earlier this week, as well as wishing his followers “Happy Red Wave Day” on Instagram and even added “LFG!!!”

Graeme Massie has the story.

Don Jr rants about ‘brainless’ election winners after two days of midterm silence

What happens to Nancy Pelosi if Democrats lose the House?

Tuesday 15 November 2022 12:15 , Shweta Sharma

Nancy Pelosi is staring at an uncertain political future.

Nearly a week after her party pulled off a strong showing in the midterm elections that shocked DC pundits and conservatives especially, the Democrats are now poised to expand their majority in the US Senate after securing its future with wins in Nevada and Arizona.

But control of the US House of Representatives remains unclear, with a handful of races in California and other western states remaining uncalled as of the Sunday following the election. Eleven contests in total remain uncalled; Democrats need eight more victories to keep a majority. It’s an uphill battle for sure, but not an impossible one, given the party’s performance so far.

Read John Boden’s report.

What happens to Nancy Pelosi if Democrats lose the House?

‘My plan is working’: Biden hails inflation news after midterm victory lap

Tuesday 15 November 2022 11:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden on Thursday morning praised a new economic report that showed inflation falling for the fourth straight month.

“My economic plan is showing results, and the American people can see that we are facing global economic challenges from a position of strength,” Mr Biden said in a statement. “It will take time to get inflation back to normal levels — and we could see setbacks along the way — but we will keep at it and help families with the cost of living.”

Abe Asher reports.

Biden hails inflation news after midterm victory lap: ‘My plan is working’

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for GOP ‘civil war’ after midterms failure

Tuesday 15 November 2022 11:15 , Shweta Sharma

Marjorie Taylor Greene says she is ready to unleash a civil war in the Republican Party after its poor showing in the midterms.

The Georgia congresswoman also indicated she would throw her support behind House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in an interview with Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast.

“In order for us to succeed, we’re going to be forced to work together. That means we’re going to fight it out,” Ms Greene said. “And I’m telling you, I’ve always said I’m not afraid of the civil war in the GOP. I lean into it.”

Read Bevan Hurley’s report.

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for GOP ‘civil war’ after midterms failure

Kayleigh McEnany claims abortion rights issue will ‘go away’

Tuesday 15 November 2022 10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in an appearance on Fox News on Thursday that Republicans’ poor performance in Tuesday’s midterm election was attributable in part to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade — but that the abortion issue will “go away” in the long run.

Abe Asher reports.

Kayleigh McEnany says abortion rights affected midterms but says issue will ‘go away’

Andy Biggs to challenge McCarthy for House Speake

Tuesday 15 November 2022 10:16 , Shweta Sharma

Arizona representative Andy Biggs will put his hat in the ring to be the new Republican speaker of the House, challenging House minority leader Kevin McCarthy.

“We have a new paradigm here, and I think the country wants a different direction from the House of Representatives. And it’s a new world, and, yes, I’m going to be nominated tomorrow to – to the position of Speaker of the House,” Mr Biggs said on Newsmax on Monday night.

“We’ll see if we can get the job done and the votes,” Biggs said. “It’s going to be tough. I mean, Kevin – Kevin has raised a lot of money and done a lot of things. But this is not just about Kevin. I think it’s about the institutional direction and trajectory.”

The voting to elect the next speaker will take place in January when the new Congress starts. But with the party on the brink of confirming its control of the House for the next two years, Republicans are expected to hold their internal leadership elections to pick a speaker nominee this week.

Poll: DeSantis has seven-point lead over Trump for 2024 primary

Tuesday 15 November 2022 09:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has a seven-point lead over Donald Trump in a 2024 presidential primary race, according to a new national poll.

Mr Trump is expected to announce he is running for the White House again this week as Republicans come to term with poor midterm election results that massively underperformed their expectations.

Graeme Massie reports.

DeSantis has seven-point lead over Trump for 2024 primary, new poll finds

Josh Shapiro wins decisive mandate in Pennsylvania

Tuesday 15 November 2022 09:31 , Shweta Sharma

Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor-elect of Pennsylvania, is set to take office following a decisive mandate from voters, who overwhelmingly rejected a Republican drive to pare back abortion rights and voting laws in the premier battleground state.

Mr Shapiro, the state’s two-term attorney general, clinched a massive 14 percentage point win over Republican rival Doug Mastriano in last week’s midterm election and smashed state campaign finance records.

He became the first candidate since 1966 to succeed a governor of the same party in Pennsylvania.

Democrats in the state also flipped a US Senate seat — just the second time since the Civil War that the state elected two Democrats to the chamber — while winning a majority of the state’s congressional seats and possibly even control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years.

Mr Shapiro is set to be worn in on 17 January and will take the reins in a state riven by bitter partisanship over voting laws and the management of the Covid-19 pandemic by his predecessor, outgoing Democratic governor Tom Wolf.

Voices: Where Democrats got it right in the midterm elections — and where they got it very wrong

Tuesday 15 November 2022 08:04 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

As a clearer image appears amid a map of red and blue, it’s easier to see where Democrats did well, where they missed opportunities, and where they flopped. We told you which races to watch here and here, so we’ll use the same measures now.

Where Democrats got it right — and where they got it very wrong

Biden: ‘Don’t expect much of anything’ from Congress on abortion rights

Tuesday 15 November 2022 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden does not believe there are enough votes in the upcoming Congress to enshrine abortion protections into federal law following the pending results of midterm elections giving Republican lawmakers likely control of the House of Representatives.

Alex Woodward reports.

Biden says Americans should not ‘expect much’ from Congress on abortion rights

Michelle Steel defends GOP seat in Orange County

Tuesday 15 November 2022 05:24 , Shweta Sharma

Republican representative Michelle Steel has won election for a second term in Orange County, the Associated Press declared.

She defeated Democrat Jay Chen, a Taiwanese-American, in a district that was specifically drawn to give Asian Americans, who comprise the largest group in the district, a stronger voice on Capitol Hill.

The race was being watched nationally for what it said about the preferences of the Asian community.

The candidates initially made inflation and hate crimes against Asian Americans key issues. But the race took an ugly turn and most of it focused on accusation and recrimination.

Mr Chen’s advertising depicted Ms Steel as an extremist who would threaten abortion rights, while Republicans accused Mr Chen of “racism” after he told supporters an “interpreter” was needed to understand the Republican’s remarks, arguing that the Democrat was mocking her accented English.

Mr Chen said he was referring to “convoluted talking points” that he said Ms Steel uses to sidestep issues.

GOP retains House seat in New York with Brandon Williams win

Tuesday 15 November 2022 05:12 , Shweta Sharma

Tech entrepreneur Brandon Williams has been elected to Congress in a district in central New York, becoming the 11th Republican to win a House race this fall in a state where Democrats usually dominate.

Mr Williams defeated Democrat Francis Conole in the contest to pick a successor to US representative John Katko, a Republican who is retiring from office.

He had declared victory last week, but the gap between the two candidates was small and a winner was not called until late Monday.

Democrat Andrea Salinas wins US House seat in Oregon's 6th

Tuesday 15 November 2022 05:08 , Shweta Sharma

Democrat Andrea Salinas has won the US House seat in Oregon’s newly created 6th District.

The state representative and former congressional staffer defeated Republican Mike Erickson, a businessman.

Salinas was one of two candidates seeking to be Oregon’s first Latina congresswoman, along with Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the 5th District, who also won her race.

Read more here:

Democrat Andrea Salinas wins US House seat in Oregon's 6th

Liz Cheney sends perfect revenge tweet as Kari Lake loses Arizona governor’s race: ‘You’re welcome’

Tuesday 15 November 2022 05:03 , Shweta Sharma

Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake has been mocked by her Republican colleague Liz Cheney after multiple news outlets called the race for the Democrats.

Ms Lake, a pro-Trump firebrand who has repeatedly spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 US presidential election, had written to Ms Cheney last month sarcastically thanking her for running a TV advert against her, which Ms Lake claimed had actually galvanised support.

“Thank you again for the huge boost to our campaign! Enjoy your forced retirement from politics,” Ms Lake had said.

Read Io Dodds’ report.

Liz Cheney sends perfect revenge tweet as Kari Lake loses Arizona: ‘You’re welcome’

Republicans are just one seat away from retaking House control

Tuesday 15 November 2022 05:01 , Shweta Sharma

Republicans were on the cusp of retaking control of the House late Monday, just one victory shy of the 218 seats the party needs to secure a majority, narrowing the path for Democrats to keep the chamber and raising the prospect of a divided government in Washington.

Democrats have already won control of the Senate, securing 50 seats with a runoff in Georgia next month that could give President Joe Biden’s party an additional seat. The GOP came into the election needing to gain a net of just five seats for House control.

Nearly a week after the midterm elections, Republicans were closing in on the majority, giving conservatives leverage to blunt Mr Biden’s agenda and spur a flurry of investigations. But a slim numerical advantage will pose immediate challenges for GOP leaders and complicate the party’s ability to govern.The full scope of the party’s majority may not be clear for several more days — or weeks — as votes in competitive races are still being counted. Still, the party was on track to achieve 218 with seats in California and other states still too early to call.

Lara Trump issues dark warning to DeSantis

Tuesday 15 November 2022 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Lara Trump issued a dark warning to Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis saying it would be “nicer” for him to stay out of the 2024 race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Lara Trump issues dark warning to DeSantis about 2024 race

If Democrats lose the House, what happens to Pelosi?

Tuesday 15 November 2022 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

John Bowden explains why Nancy Pelosi is staring at an uncertain political future.

What happens to Nancy Pelosi if Democrats lose the House?

Conservatives turn fire on Trump over midterm debacle

Tuesday 15 November 2022 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

More of Donald Trump’s conservative enemies are coming out of the woodwork as the GOP inches closer to a full-scale civil war in the wake of a dismal showing in the 2022 midterm elections.

The Republican Party is now in disarray as a so-called “red wave” that was being predicted mere hours before polls closed failed to materialise and voters instead handed Democrats the keys to a Senate majority for the next two years.

John Bowden reports on the growing discontent with the man widely perceived as leader of the party.

GOP turns fire on Trump over midterm debacle ahead of expected 2024 announcement

Breaking news: Katie Hobbs defeats far-right Republican Kari Lake in Arizona governor’s race

Tuesday 15 November 2022 02:27 , Alex Woodward

Arizona voters have elected Democratic candidiate Katie Hobbs as the state’s next governor, defeating Kari Lake and dealing a blow to Donald Trump’s campaign to install loyalists in positions of power over election administration across the country.

The race was one of the most-watched contests in the country, as candidates who amplified Mr Trump’s false narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him – ahead of his assumed entry into the 2024 race – sought, and lost, critical state-level positions that could determine the outcome of those results.

Ms Lake, a former news anchor, was among Republican nominees running for the three crucial statewide offices in Arizona, including secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem and attorney general candidate Abraham Hamadeh – all of whom baselessly stated that the 2020 election was compromised. All received Mr Trump’s endorsement.

Mr Finchem has been defeated, and Mr Hamadeh is trailing in unofficial results.

Katie Hobbs defeats far-right Republican Kari Lake in Arizona governor’s race

Trump blames McConnell for midterms flop and makes racist jab at his wife

Tuesday 15 November 2022 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump sought to escape blame for the poor showing of his party in the 2022 midterms on Sunday and escalated his racist attacks against the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, his former secretary of Transporation, Elaine Chao.

John Bowden has the latest grievance from the former president.

Trump blames McConnell for midterms flop and takes racist swipe at his wife

Election deniers are losing their races in critical state-level elections

Tuesday 15 November 2022 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s endless grievances and a bogus narrative that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him have fuelled dozens of Republican campaigns across the US, from local-level races to elections for governor and US Senate seats.

At the state-level, things haven’t gone so well for them.

Election deniers are losing critical state-level races

Pelosi says ‘disgusting’ GOP reaction to attack on her husband may have influenced voters

Tuesday 15 November 2022 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Some Americans may have voted for Democrats to hold on to at least one chamber of Congress simply because of the growing ugliness of the conservative politcial movement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested on Sunday.

John Bowden reports from Washington DC.

Pelosi says ‘disgusting’ GOP reaction to husband’s attack may have swayed voters

ICYMI: Democrats seal Senate majority with Nevada win

Monday 14 November 2022 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Democrats look set to hold their Senate majority in Nevada as incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto overtook Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.

Ms Cortez Masto’s expected success comes after Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire outright won her race on election night and Mark Kelly of Arizona clinched his victory on Friday night.

Eric Garcia reports.

Democrats seal Senate majority as Catherine Cortez Masto wins re-election in Nevada

Incredibly accurate prediction on House and Senate control from August has gone viral after results

Monday 14 November 2022 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

A prediction about the US midterms made on Twitter at the end of August has gone viral for apparently accurately guessing the outcome of the election.

User “umichvoter”, who appears to be 22-years-old with an interest in politics and elections currently studying for a medical degree, made the prediction on 31 August.

Read on:

Prediction on House and Senate control from August goes viral as results bear out

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for GOP ‘civil war’

Monday 14 November 2022 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Marjorie Taylor Greene says she is ready unleash a civil war in the Republican Party after its poor showing in the midterms.

Bevan Hurley reports on the Georgia firebrand’s comments.

Marjorie Taylor Greene calls for GOP ‘civil war’ after midterms failure

Mastriano ridiculed for reluctant concession of Pennsylvania governors race

Monday 14 November 2022 21:48 , Oliver O'Connell

On ‘Governor Mastriano’ headed paper?

John Bowden reports.

Doug Mastriano mocked for late concession to Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania

McCarthy appears unconcerned by lack of red wave

Monday 14 November 2022 21:39 , Oliver O'Connell

Asked about the lack of a red wave of votes last Tuesday, Rep Kevin McCarthy replies: “You know what is interesting? Small, medium and large — we all get the same sized gavel.”

He adds that he would rather “be us than them”.

Asked about being challenged for the speakership by Rep Andy Biggs of the Freedom Caucus, Mr McCarthy replies: “I think it is great. Competition makes people better. I think debate is a good thing.”

Biden ‘incredibly pleased’ with voter turnout

Monday 14 November 2022 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Joe Biden says he is “incredibly pleased” with voter turnout as it was confirmed that the Democrats will retain control of the Senate for the next two years.

“I think it’s a reflection of the quality of our candidates,” the president said, as it was announced that Catherine Cortez Masto had won her seat in the Arizona midterm.

“I feel good and I’m looking forward to the next couple of years,” Mr Biden added, saying the Republican Party has to “decide who they are.”

Conservative pundits had confidently forecast a “red wave” in this year’s midterms.

Biden ‘incredibly pleased’ with voter turnout as Democrats retain control of Senate

Pelosi welcomes new lawmakers to the House

Monday 14 November 2022 21:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Voices: Mitch McConnell is to blame for GOP Senate flop, but not for the reasons conservatives think

Monday 14 November 2022 20:47 , Oliver O'Connell

The failure to flip the Senate has forced Republicans into a bitter intra-party feud and nobody seems to be feeling the heat more than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Eric Garcia explains why.

McConnell’s to blame for midterms flop – but not for the reasons conservatives think

Noem urged to run for RNC chair, report says

Monday 14 November 2022 20:12 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN’s Gabby Orr reports that Kristi Noem has been fielding calls from top RNC donors urging her to run for RNC chair while remaining governor of South Dakota.

Gov Noem’s spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the effort to draft her. She’s been in touch with former President Donald Trump since handily winning re-election last week Tuesday.

After midterms, Kennedy eyes Louisiana governor’s mansion

Monday 14 November 2022 19:55 , Oliver O'Connell

A week after securing his reelection to the U.S. Senate, Republican Sen. John Kennedy said Monday that he is “giving serious consideration” to entering the 2023 Louisiana governor’s race.

In a statement, Kennedy said he will be announcing “soon” whether he will run for governor or not.

Current Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, is unable to seek a third consecutive term due to term limits — opening a huge opportunity for Republicans to take control of the state’s highest ranking position.

GOP Sen. John Kennedy considers bid for Louisiana governor

Poll: DeSantis has seven-point lead over Trump for 2024 primary

Monday 14 November 2022 21:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has a seven-point lead over Donald Trump in a 2024 presidential primary race, according to a new national poll.

Mr Trump is expected to announce he is running for the White House again this week as Republicans come to term with poor midterm election results that massively underperformed their expectations.

Graeme Massie reports.

DeSantis has seven-point lead over Trump for 2024 primary, new poll finds

Voices: McCarthy faces ‘an almost impossible task’ if Republicans win the House

Monday 14 November 2022 19:40 , Oliver O'Connell

As the Democrats’ chances to hold the House majority narrow, the floodgates for Kevin McCarthy’s own personal hell are about to open. A thin majority will mean Mr McCarthy is more of a prisoner to archconservatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert (who looks increasingly more likely to win her race in Colorado’s 3rd district).

To get a better idea of what’s going to happen for House Republicans, The Independent spoke with Brendan Buck. Mr Buck is familiar with the internal GOP strife as he served as Speaker John Boehner’s press secretary and a counsellor to Speaker Paul Ryan, during which both men had to manage cantankerous right-wing factions.

Mr Buck quickly diagnosed the disease that caused Republicans to have a less-than-stellar night.

Read on below to see what he had to say:

What awaits Kevin McCarthy if Republicans win: ‘This is an almost impossible task

Congress faces big post-election to-do list

Monday 14 November 2022 19:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Congress is returning to an extremely volatile post-election landscape, with control of the House still undecided, party leadership in flux and a potentially consequential lame-duck session with legislation on gay marriage, Ukraine and government funding.

Newly elected members of Congress arrived for Monday’s orientation amid jarring disappointments for Republicans, setting up rocky internal party leadership elections for GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Republicans suffered one of the most disappointing midterm outcomes in decades when a mighty red wave forecast for the House never hit.

Democrats performed better than expected, keeping narrow control of the Senate and pressing a long shot race for the House. But they, too, face leadership turmoil as Republicans pick up House seats toward majority control that would threaten Speaker Nancy Pelosi's gavel.

Congress faces leaders in flux, big to-do list post-election

NBC News projecting razor thin GOP House majority

Monday 14 November 2022 18:49 , Oliver O'Connell

NBC News projects that once all the votes are counted, Republicans will hold a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives estimated at 219 congressional seats to the Democrats’ 216.

Speaking on the Today show, Hallie Jackson, the network’s senior Washington correspondent, reports that with such a slim majority, “the actual work of governing is just going to be trickier” and various investigations could commence into President Joe Biden — watch via Mediaite.

“It’s just gonna be messier, right? Because it means with less wiggle room, basically, a smaller group of members could have more power,” Jackson said noting that this would be a challenge for the Speaker of the House, whether that is Kevin McCarthy or a challenger.

Control of House still up for grabs but Democrats face increasingly tough path to majority

Monday 14 November 2022 18:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Six days after polls closed in the US midterm elections, vote-counting in tight races means it is still possible for the Democrats to stun the world by retaining control of the House of Representatives when Congress convenes on 3 January.

It’s also still possible that Republicans will earn the 218 votes needed to sweep into power.

Of the 435 seats in the lower chamber, the GOP has already laid claim to 212 of them, while Democrats have already been declared the victors in 204 contests.

Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia look at how the remaining seats will likely be called.

Control of House still up for grabs but Democrats face a tougher path

Watch: Marjorie Taylor Greene says not afraid of ‘civil war in GOP’

Monday 14 November 2022 17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene was asked about the battle as to whom she be Speaker of the House if, as expected, Republicans win a slim majority.

Speaking on War Room, she said: “We’re going to fight it out. I’m not afraid of the civil war in the GOP. I lean into it.”

Biden adviser says calling MAGA Republicans ‘extremists’ helped in midterms

Monday 14 November 2022 17:25 , Oliver O'Connell

White House adviser Anita Dunn said that President Joe Biden’s decision to characterise MAGA Republicans as extreme helped Democrats perform better than expected in the midterm elections.

Ms Dunn spoke to Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press and noted how many people questioned whether using the term “MAGA Republican” would be an effective strategy.

As Eric Garcia reports, Ms Dunn explained how it ended up helping.

White House adviser: painting MAGA Republicans as ‘extremists’ helped Democrats

Watch: Biden hails defeat of Trump-backed election deniers

Monday 14 November 2022 16:55 , Oliver O'Connell