Polls open along West Coast
Former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, left, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto
Las Vegas Review-Journal | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Polls open in California, Nevada, Alaska and elsewhere in the West at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. local time).
Races to watch in these states include Alaska’s incumbent Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who’s facing Kelly Tshibaka, also a Republican, and Democratic opponent Patricia Chesbro for U.S. Senate.
Incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-N.V., will also defend her Senate seat against former Arizona attorney general Adam Laxalt, who’s been endorsed by former president Donald Trump.
— Chelsey Cox
Pennsylvania Senate hopefuls cast their ballots
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidates John Fetterman, a Democrat, and GOP challenger Dr. Mehmet Oz cast their ballots in person Tuesday morning.
Democratic US Senate candidate John Fetterman arrives to cast his ballot at New Hope Baptist Church in Braddock, Pennsylvania, on November 8, 2022.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz enters the polling station at the Bryn Athyn Borough Hall to cast his ballot on November 8, 2022 in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania.
Win Mcnamee | Getty Images
Fetterman voted at New Hope Baptist Church in Braddock while Oz cast his ballot at Bryn Athyn Borough Hall in Huntingdon Valley.
Pennsylvania is one of a handful of Senate seats that’s open due to the retirement of an incumbent senator.
It’s considered to be one of the most hotly contested races in the country with the Cook Political Report reporting the race as a toss up.
The candidates are statistically tied, Oz with a 0.4 percentage point edge, in the Real Clear Politics average.
— Emma Kinery
‘No specific credible threats’ against Americans on Election Day, White House says
People wait in line to vote at a polling place on November 8, 2022 in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, United States.
Allison Joyce | Getty Images
The White House ensured the safety of voters on Election Day, saying it hasn’t heard of any “specific credible threats.”
“Law enforcement has briefed us that there are no specific credible threats at this point,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a White House press briefing on Monday. “Americans should feel safe going to the polls. It is important for Americans to do so.”
President Joe Biden has repeatedly condemned threats of political violence ahead of the midterm elections and in wake of the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi.
“It remains important to the president to state strongly and unequivocally violence has no place in our democracy,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden believes leaders of both parties have a duty to communicate that.
— Emma Kinery
Midterms usually don’t favor the incumbent party
U.S. President Joe Biden is flanked by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the Hall of Columns as he arrives to mark the first anniversary of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Though President Joe Biden has asked voters to think of the upcoming election as a “choice” rather than a “referendum,” midterms historically have been a referendum on the party in power.
That’s not a great sign for Democrats who control the presidency and both chambers of Congress. Former President George W. Bush was the exception to the trend. Political analysts attribute the GOP gain in the House to the rallying effect post 9/11 attacks.
Here’s how recent presidents’ parties have fared in the U.S. House in the midterm races held during their first terms:
- Bill Clinton: Democrats lost 54 seats
- Bush: Republicans gained 8 seats
- Barack Obama: Democrats lost 63 seats
- Donald Trump: Republicans lost 41 seats
— Emma Kinery
Biden’s approval rating at 44%, voters slightly prefer Democrats to control…
Read More: Polls open in California, other West Coast states