US midterms: Democrats notch early victories in quest to control Congress

Democrats have secured early victories in the midterm elections, including flipping a Republican-held Senate seat in North Carolina where former Governor Roy Cooper defeated Trump-backed Republican Michael Whatley. In Georgia, Senator Jon Ossoff defeated U.S. Representative Mike Collins, while Chris Pappas maintained control of an open Senate seat in New Hampshire by defeating Republican John Sununu. Additionally, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected governor of Georgia, defeating Republican Rick Jackson.

In Florida, Democrats have shown strength in several Republican-leaning House districts. Semafor reports that Democrats have won three seats drawn to elect Republicans, including re-elections for Jared Moskowitz and Kathy Castor, along with a victory for Rep.-elect Pia Dandiya. According to Daily Maverick, Republican Senator Ashley Moody maintained a lead of approximately 3 percentage points over Democrat Angie Nixon in Florida.

While these results boost hopes that Democrats could wrest control of Congress from President Donald Trump's Republicans, it remains too early to determine if they will net the required four Senate seats and three House seats for a majority. Business Standard IN noted that initial results reflect voter frustration over the high cost of living and surging fuel prices following the war in Iran.

Semafor reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned the GOP was losing some advantages due to voter anger regarding the war in Iran.

Brief written by urgent.news from Business Standard IN, Daily Maverick, The Korea Times, Dawn, Semafor — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.