Fox News host says midterms are ‘searing indictment’ of the Republican party
President Joe Biden has insisted that hopes for the Democrats to hold onto the House of Representatives are still alive even as the GOP closes in on a narrow majority.
“It’s still alive. It’s still alive. But it’s like drawing an inside straight,” he told reporters.
President Biden also denied earlier acknowledging Republicans’ victory during a conversation with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. “I said if you win the majority, congratulations,” Mr Biden clarified.
Meanwhile, control of the US Senate now hinges on two tight races in Arizona and Nevada, after the race between Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker in Georgia headed for a runoff.
Both Republicans and Democrats need two of these three remaining Senate seats to take the upper chamber, after Democrats flipped a red seat in Pennsylvania where John Fetterman sailed to victory over TV doctor Mehmet Oz.
Both Arizona and Nevada are still too close to call. In Arizona, incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is currently leading Republican Blake Masters with more than 20 per cent of votes still to be counted.
His Nevada party colleague Catherine Cortez Masto is still behind Republican Adam Laxalt.
GOP senators circulate letter calling for leadership election delay
Republican senators Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Rick Scott have circulated a letter for colleagues to sign proposing the postponement of leadership elections currently scheduled ofr Wednesday, Politico reports.
“We are all disappointed that a Red Wave failed to materialise, and there are multiple reasons it did not,” the letter states. “We need to have serious discussions within our conference as to why and what we can do to improve our chances in 2024.”
The senators propose a delay until after all the Senate races are called. It is almost a month until a result from Georgia will be known.
Oliver O’Connell11 November 2022 18:54
Lindsey Graham verges on tears in defence of Herschel Walker
The senator made the comments Thursday on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show, in which he worked himself nearly to tears while defending the former NFL player-turned-MAGA politician.
Oliver O’Connell11 November 2022 18:45
Analysis: Midterms reveal America’s deep divide
A red wave? Not really. How about a blue wave? Not that either.
In fact, as America voted in midterm elections that will decide the control of the houses of Congress and kickstart the 2024 presidential showdown, all we really learned was something we already knew – that America is bitterly and deeply divided.
Andrew Buncombe weighs up what the results show us about the state of the country.
Andrew Naughtie11 November 2022 18:15
Dispatch from Alaska: The conservative ship has sailed
Filing from the last frontier, Summer Koester has this report on how Sarah Palin and other right-wing Republicans have found themselves struggling in Alaska’s elections after decades of near-total Republican dominance.
Mary Peltola’s win in a special congressional election this summer, it seems, may have been anything but a fluke.
Andrew Naughtie11 November 2022 17:45
Rubio and Hawley call for postponement of GOP Senate leadership vote
Florida Senator Marco Rubio has called for the postponement of the Senate GOP leadership vote, currently scheduled for next week.
He argues: “First we need to make sure that those who want to lead us are genuinely committed to fighting for the priorities and values of the working Americans (of every background) who gave us big wins in states like Florida.”
His call was seconded by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley: “Exactly right. I don’t know why Senate GOP would hold a leadership vote for the next Congress before this election is…