Midterms, so far

It may not be great, but it's big. Democrats didn't give up the whole shebang as is typical for the incumbent party in midterms when the economy isn't great.

In an early sign that the party was poised to stave off staggering losses in the House, Democrats won two of three House races in Virginia and tempered Republicans’ boasts of an election day blowout. Jennifer Wexton and Abigail Spanberger fended off Republican challengers, though Elaine Luria – a member of the House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection – conceded to her opponent, the Republican Jen Kiggans.

With many races still too close to call, control of Congress – and the future of Biden’s agenda – hung in the balance. Outcomes of some closely contested elections are not expected for several days, or even weeks. But the early results already returned one certainty: the election was not unfolding as Republicans had hoped.

“Definitely not a Republican wave, that’s for darn sure,” Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, told MSNBC as results filtered in on Tuesday night.

[...]

Republicans were still favored to regain control of the House, in part thanks to a favorable redistricting season after the 2020 census.

  Guardian

So, it's not inconceivable that the GOP will lose support if they win the House and start doing all the things they're claiming they'll do, which is mostly impeach every Democrat Trump complains about.

Trump spent election day sharing unfounded claims about ballots on Truth Social and calling on followers to “protest”, while the former president was accused by some of being responsible for the apparent lack of a red wave.

Fox News, traditionally a Trump ally, published a story claiming he was “blasted across [the] media spectrum”, and claims that he was the night’s “biggest loser”.

There goes the final nail in Fox News' coffin for MAGA world.

The fight for the Senate, currently split 50-50, was extremely tight, with several races too close to call in the early hours of Wednesday. The Georgia senator Raphael Warnock was running neck and neck with the Republican Herschel Walker, elevating the possibility of a runoff next month if neither candidate can capture 50% of the vote. In the west, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and her Republican opponent Adam Laxalt, who in the early hours of the morning was more than two points ahead, both said they did not expect results in their tightly contested race until later in the week. In Arizona, the Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly led the Republican Blake Masters.

[...]

The final results, which will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Biden’s first term as president and could further constrain his legislative agenda, may take weeks in some closely fought Senate races. Delayed results are likely to fuel legal challenges and conspiracy theories about vote-rigging, particularly if the remaining seats determine control of the Senate.

Republicans are looking at a net gain of just seven seats in the House — enough for control, but far below expectations. Senate races left to be called include the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin.

  NPR

One of the most-watched races the morning after Election Day is Rep. Lauren Boebert’s reelection bid — which is under serious threat from challenger Adam Frisch.

Frisch held a slight lead over Boebert for much of Tuesday night; as of Wednesday morning, he enjoyed a razor-thin edge of 50.59% to 49.41%.

  NPR

She won't go away, but it will be a relief if she isn't in Congress.

Once they no longer need him, they dump him.  Maybe he'll start his own elections like he did his own social media platform.

Tuesday’s midterm results saw several historic firsts across the country.

A record number of Black candidates ran up and down the ballot and across party lines, strides in LGBTQ representation were made and gender barriers were broken.

Here are 10 candidates that broke glass ceilings in their races this year.

  The Hill

Continue reading.

Thankfully, the worries about election venues becoming violent didn't materialize, but even if the Democrats hang on, we're definitely not out of the woods. And while there were some encouraging firsts, our country is still a mess.

UPDATE:

UPDATE:

Fox's Steve Doocey nailed it, eh? 

Because he's brilliant.  Check it out:

But, also...