WorldUS midterms
Democrats oust Steil, Van Orden and Max Miller as House gains grow; Jeffries says 'America is back'
Overnight counting in the US kept adding to the Democratic win in the House, with Republican incumbents falling in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and California. Alaska's Senate race has still not been called.
Key points
- Republican Representatives Derrick Van Orden and Bryan Steil lost their Wisconsin seats.
- Victoria Spartz in Indiana and Max Miller in Ohio were also defeated by Democrats.
- Hakeem Jeffries said 'Today begins the great American comeback'.
Democrats kept adding to their House win through the night in the US, defeating a string of Republican incumbents in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and California as counting went on after the networks had already projected that the party would take control of the chamber.
In Wisconsin, two Republicans fell within minutes of each other. Democrat Mitchell Berman defeated Representative Bryan Steil in the state’s 1st District, and Rebecca Cooke ousted Representative Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd, CBS News projected shortly after 11:30 am India time.
More seats change hands
In Ohio, Democrat Brian Poindexter beat Representative Max Miller in the 7th District. In Texas, Democrat Johnny Garcia won the 35th District against Republican Carlos De La Cruz. Later in the morning, Indiana Representative Victoria Spartz lost to Democrat J.D. Ford in the 5th District, and in California Democrat Mike McGuire defeated Representative James Gallagher in the 1st.
Going into the vote, Republicans held 218 House seats, with one independent who caucuses with them, against 214 for the Democrats, with two seats vacant.
‘A change election’
Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader who is in line to become Speaker in January, celebrated the result. “America is back,” he said. “Today begins the great American comeback.” He added: “This is a change election, and we understand as House Democrats that we need to deliver dramatic change.”
Several races are still being counted, and Alaska’s Senate contest between Republican Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola had not been called by early Wednesday afternoon in India. Polls there closed at 1 am Eastern time, and the state’s ranked-choice count can take days.