WorldUS midterms
Ossoff holds Georgia as first midterm results come in
Democrat Jon Ossoff keeps his Senate seat, the first big call of the night. Early counts show Democrats ahead in several Republican-held House districts, but control of Congress is still open.
Key points
- Ossoff beat Republican Mike Collins, a sitting congressman, to keep the seat.
- Early counts show Democrats leading in Republican-held districts, with most of the country still counting.
- Republicans went in holding the Senate 53 to 47 and the House 218 to 214.
Democratic senator Jon Ossoff has won re-election in Georgia, the first major call of a midterm night that will decide who controls Congress for the last two years of Donald Trump’s second term.
Georgia was one of only three Democratic-held Senate seats that Republicans saw as open to a challenge, along with Michigan and New Hampshire. Holding it means Democrats have kept one of the seats they needed before they can think about gains elsewhere.
The early House count also brought Democrats leading in Republican-held districts, though only a small share of the vote had been counted when the first polls closed in the eastern states. Most of the country, including the West Coast, was still voting.
Republicans went into the night holding the Senate 53 to 47 and the House by 218 seats to 214, with two vacancies. The Senate seats to watch on the Republican side are Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, where Democrat James Talarico is up against Republican Ken Paxton. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting and may not have a winner for days.
Trump had warned his supporters on Monday that history was against him. “For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms,” he said. “But we gave this a very strong shot.”
For India, a Democratic House would put a check on Trump’s trade and tariff agenda, which New Delhi is watching closely, and on his Iran war policy. A clearer picture of the House is expected through Wednesday in India.