Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire was the projected winner over Republican challenger Don Bolduc in a major victory for Democrats to maintain control of the Senate, while Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet held off Republican Joe O’Dea.
NBC and CNN projected the victories for both Democrats.
In another battleground race, Republican J.D. Vance was the projected winner in Ohio over Democrat Rep. Tim Ryan, spoiling the congressman’s push to turn the reliably red state blue.
The race for control of the Senate, currently split 50-50, is a toss-up with key seats in Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Arizona and others still too close to call.
- Republicans need to gain just a single Senate seat to gain control of the upper chamber of Congress. There are 34 seats in the 2022 election, and several remain on a knife’s edge, according to polls.
- The party that controls the Senate will have the power to facilitate – or block – President Biden’s legislative agenda in the last two years of his term.
The USA TODAY Network is on the ground in key battleground states across the country as voters head to the polls.
Here’s what you need to know on Election Day:
What are the key Senate races we’re waiting on results?
Republicans need to gain just a single Senate seat to gain control of the upper chamber of Congress. There are 34 seats in the 2022 election, and several remain on a knife’s edge, according to polls.
- Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., vs. Republican Adam Laxalt;
- Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., vs. Republican Blake Masters;
- Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., vs Republican Herschel Walker;
- Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., vs. Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes;
- Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., vs. Democrat Cheri Beasley for retiring Sen. Richard Burr’s North Carolina Senate seat;
- Pennsylvania’s Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman vs. Republican Mehmet Oz for retiring Sen. Pat Toomey’s Senate seat.
Which party will control the Senate?:Here’s every seat up for grabs in the 2022 midterms
Democrat Alex Padilla wins reelection to U.S. Senate from California.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., won his reelection bid against Republican challenger Mark Meuser.
With just under 10% of ballots counted, Padilla led Meuser by more than 20 percentage points.
Padilla was appointed to his Senate seat by California Gov. Gavin Newsom when Harris became vice president.
-Ella Lee
Republican JD Vance wins Ohio Senate seat
Trump-backed Republican author JD Vance won the Senate race in Ohio, beating Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, whose campaign had a fundraising edge but lacked national party support, according to NBC and ABC News.
The race has been one of the tightest in the country in recent polling and is a key test of the influence former President Donald Trump still wields. Trump endorsed Vance and went to Ohio to support him, telling rally goers in September that “The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance.”
It’s also a bellwether for which way national tides are turning on Election Day. The Senate seat has been occupied since 2011 by Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who’s retiring.
– Donovan Slack
Democrat Maggie Hassan wins reelection to U.S. Senate
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., beat back Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Don Bolduc in a race that narrowed sharply in the final days despite the state being carried by President Joe Biden in 2020, according to ABC and NBC News
Hassan, who served as governor from 2013 until she entered the Senate in 2017, tried to distance herself from the president throughout her campaign. She criticized the administration for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan last year and for its handling of rising inflation.
Bolduc, a retired Army general, repeated false claims during the primary that the 2020 election was stolen, but he walked those back after securing the GOP nomination in September. In October, the National Republican Senatorial Committee stopped funding Bolduc’s campaign to prioritize other battleground states.
– Ryan Knappenberger
Republican Chuck Grassley reelected to Senate seat
Republican Chuck Grassley has defended his Iowa Senate seat against Democratic challenger Michael Franken, according to ABC and NBC.
Grassley has served in office since 1959. The 89-year-old congressman will now serve his sixth term, which upon completion would make him the second-oldest member of Congress at 95 years old.
– Rachel Looker
Republican John Kennedy defends his Louisiana Senate seat
Republican Sen. John Kennedy defended his Senate seat in Louisiana defeating Democratic challenger Luke Mixon, according to NBC and ABC.
Kennedy joined a group of 11 senators in 2021 who objected to the certification of President Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential loss. He will now serve his second term.
– Rachel Looker
Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet wins reelection
Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet defended his Colorado Senate seat in a competitive race against Republican challenger Joe O’Dea, according to multiple reports.
This will be Bennet’s third term in office, but was one of his most challenging reelection campaigns. He sought out the Democratic party nomination for the 2020 presidential election.
– Rachel Looker
Republican Sen. Jerry Moran reelected to Senate
Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran won reelection against Mark Holland, the Democratic candidate for the Kansas Senate seat. Moran will be serving this third term in the Senate.
Moran previously served as the chairman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2013 to 2015 and in the U.S. House from 1997 to 2011.
— Sarah Elbeshbishi
North Dakota Republican Sen. John Hoeven wins reelection
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., won his reelection bid against Democrat Katrina Christiansen with just over 1% of the vote counted.
Hoeven, who will serve a third Senate term, was previously North Dakota’s governor for a decade.
-Ella Lee
Sen. Chuck Schumer wins reelection
Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, won reelection in the New York Senate race defeating Republican challenger Joe Pinion.
Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, will now serve a fifth term.
– Rachel Looker
South Dakota Republican John Thune wins historic fourth Senate term
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., won his reelection bid against Democrat Brian Bengs for a historic fourth term in Congress’ upper chamber, putting him on course to become the next leader of the Senate.
Only Karl Mundt, who served in the Senate from 1948 to 1973, won four terms as a senator in South Dakota. Since Mundt’s retirement, three senators have lost running for a fourth term: George McGovern in 1980, Larry Pressler in 1996 and Tom Daschle in 2004.
Thune is currently the No. 2 ranking senator behind Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
-Ella Lee; Jonathan Ellis and Joe Sneve, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
Voting is over in Ohio, but the fundraising continues
The polls may have closed in Ohio, but GOP Senate candidate J.D. Vance is still asking supporters to vote with their wallets.
“If you want to make an impact on this race personally, then I have a link for you!” Vance said in fundraising email Tuesday night that urged backers to “rush” a donation.
“Thanks for everything as we reach the finish line,” the appeal says.
— Maureen Groppe
Republican Sen. John Boozman wins reelection bid
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., will serve a third term in the U.S. Senate, winning his reelection bid against Democrat Natalie James.
Boozman currently serves on five Senate committees, including the appropriations committee and supported the acquittal of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
— Ella Lee, Sarah Elbeshbishi
Maryland Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen wins reelection
Sen. Chris Van Hollen was reelected Tuesday evening, defeating his Republican opponent Chris Chaffee and keeping his Maryland Senate seat.
Van Hollen, who previously served as the U.S. representative for Maryland’s 8th congressional district, won his second Senate term with less than half a percent of the vote counted.
– Ella Lee
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth wins reelection
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., beat Republican challenger Kathy Salvi for a second term.
A disabled veteran who served in Iraq, Duckworth won her reelection bid with just over 1% of the vote counted.
– Ella Lee
Republican Britt wins Alabama Senate seat
Republican Katie Britt won the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. She defeated Democrat Will Boyd.
Britt was previously the former president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama. During the campaign, she received the endorsement of Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, who is retiring.
– Rachel Looker
Republican Senate candidates sweep in Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s two Republican Senate candidates won their elections early Tuesday night.
Markwayne Mullin was elected to the U.S. Senate in Oklahoma and Sen. James Lankford won his reelection bid.
-Ella Lee
Sen. Richard Blumenthal defends Connecticut Senate seat
Sen. Richard Blumenthal won reelection in the Connecticut Senate race.
Blumenthal has been in office since 2011. This is his third six-year term. The senator’s last tight contest was in 2010, which was his first run for U.S. Senate.
– Rachel Looker
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio defeats Democratic challenger
Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio successfully fended off Democratic Rep. Val Demings in Florida’s U.S. Senate race , according to Fox and CNN.
Rubio, a two-term senator, had been the favorite to win in polls conducted throughout the race, while Demings, a congresswoman representing the Orlando area since 2017, trailed.
The contest has shaped up to be one of the most expensive in the country, with Democrats spending big, hoping to flip the seat.
Ideologically the candidates are split mostly along party lines, sparring in their sole debate over hot-button issues like abortion, border policy, and gun control.
– Anna Kaufman, Ella Lee
Democrat Peter Welch wins Vermont Senate seat
Democrat Peter Welch will succeed Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the longest-serving member of the chamber.
Welch beat Republican Gerald Malloy with just 1% of the vote counted.
Leahy, first elected to the Senate in 1974, announced his retirement in November 2021.
– Ella Lee
Analyst: Democrats must outrun Biden
Democrats in competitive Senate races must outrun President Joe Biden’s approval rating by six to nine percentage points to win Tuesday, according to political handicapper Jessica Taylor.
“The biggest hurdle for Senate Dems tonight – Biden’s approval,” tweeted Taylor, an analyst with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
That helps explain why Biden did not campaign with most of the candidates in nine of the top races. The exception was John Fetterman, who appeared with Biden and former President Barack Obama at a rally in Philadelphia Saturday.
– Maureen Groppe
Republican incumbent Todd Young wins Indiana Senate race
Republican Sen. Todd Young defended his seat against Democratic challenger Thomas McDermott in in the Indiana Senate race.
Young is finishing his first term as senator. He was set to be the frontrunner of the race and had over $3.5 million cash on hand in the run up to Election Day.
– Rachel Looker
Republican Sen. Scott wins South Carolina Senate seat
Incumbent Republican Sen. Tim Scott won the South Carolina Senate seat in the race against Democrat Krystle Matthews. Scott will now serve his second full term.
Scott has made repeated trips to Iowa, creating speculation he may be laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential bid.
Matthews serves as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
– Rachel Looker
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul easily wins reelection
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sailed to reelection Tuesday night, crushing Democrat Charles Booker’s hopes that he’d pull off a massive upset and become not only the first Democratic senator elected in Kentucky since 1992 but also the commonwealth’s first Black senator.
Paul won a third six-year term in Congress, scoring a victory called relatively early Tuesday evening as election results rolled in.
The libertarian-leaning senator ran on a staunchly conservative platform.
-Morgan Watkins, Louisville Courier Journal
‘Heating and eating’ turns out Republican voters in New Hampshire
GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – In Goffstown, Jackie Beck, 44, said she wants to see a Republican Congress to finish out Biden’s last two years in his term, which means voting for Republican Don Bolduc over Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan.
Bolduc’s campaign has banked on high inflation turning out Republican voters, or as Bolduc himself puts it, “heating and eating.”
That message works for Beck, who said she’s seen enough of a Democratic Congress. “I have no reason to vote for a Democrat,” Beck said. “I can’t buy groceries for my family because it’s so expensive. It’s crazy.”
— Ken Tran
For some New Hampshire voters, Biden’s speech on democracy gets through
BEDFORD, N.H. – For some in New Hampshire, where presidential candidates flock to every four years, President Joe Biden’s message that democracy is at stake made it through for some voters.
Jonathan French says it’s why he’s voting for Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan over Republican Don Bolduc, who has denied the results of the 2020 election.
“I believe in democracy. Don Bolduc denies the election results from 2020,” French simply put.
But at the same time, French isn’t sure if he wants to see Biden run again in 2024. “We’ll wait and see,” said French.
– Ken Tran
Ted Budd is the betting favorite over Cheri Beasley
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – North Carolina has never elected a woman of color to the U.S. Senate, and many voters don’t expect that to change Tuesday.
Supporters of Democrat Cheri Beasley say they are not exactly confident, but some remain hopeful: “Some of the underdogs come out on top!” said Jannet Blue, 58, a Department of Motor Vehicles supervisor who voted in Winston-Salem.
Backers of Republican Ted Budd are more confident; his poll lead has grown in recent weeks, and voters said it just feels like a Republican year in the Tar Heel State. “We need to keep working people working,” said James Wilcox, 61, a Winston-Salem businessman.
– David Jackson
Val Demings talks abortion rights, crime on The View
Florida Senate challenger Val Demings appeared on an Election Day edition of “The View,” referencing her career in law enforcement in response to the notion that Democrats aren’t tough on crime.
“I really don’t know how gullible (Sen. Marco Rubio) thinks Florida voters are, but if they’re really interested in someone who has demonstrated an ability to reduce crime and keep communities safe, I am their candidate,” Demings said, pointing to incumbent Rubio’s comparison of the FBI to “Marxist dictatorships.”
Demings also discussed her views on abortion, which she believes should be legal up until viability. While Rubio supports a federal ban on abortion with no exceptions, Demings said she believes the decision is between a woman, her family, doctor and her faith.
– Clare Mulroy
For some, Walker’s candidacy is about ‘grace and forgiveness’
KENNESAW, Ga. – Former football player Herschel Walker’s personal controversies have made his Senate campaign a target for Democrats, but many Georgia voters think differently.
“Herschel is real, he’s one of us,” voter Tricia Choi, 55, told USA TODAY. Choi said for many Walker’s story is about the redemptive power of Jesus Christ, which she said appeals to faith-based voters.
Republican candidate Walker, who is running to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, has been accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife. Most recently, allegations surfaced that he pressured former girlfriends to have abortions, which he has denied.
– Phillip M. Bailey
Thune looks for decisive election win in bid for 4th term
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Republican U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota sought a decisive reelection win Tuesday over his Democratic challenger for a fourth term that could feature a bid to eventually become his party’s leader in the Senate.
The 61-year-old Republican held a large fundraising advantage over Democrat Brian Bengs, an Air Force veteran and university professor. Thune is the second-ranking Senate Republican and is seen as a potential pick to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell once he steps down from leadership.
– Associated Press
Kelly and Masters make final push to Arizona voters
ARIZONA – Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Republican challenger Blake Masters are making their final appeals to voters Tuesday in a close race that could determine the party balance of the U.S. Senate.
Kelly and Masters, a first-time candidate, are locked in what’s become an increasingly tight race, with Kelly’s initial advantage in the polls narrowing to a dead heat.
Kelly planned to spend Election Day at get-out-the-vote events in west Phoenix and Tucson before the campaign’s election night event in Tucson.
Masters planned to spend election night at the Arizona Republican Party’s watch event in Scottsdale.
– Alison Steinbach, The Arizona Republic
Voting begins smoothly in contested Nevada Senate race
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – At the Desert Breeze Community Center outside Las Vegas, approximately 100 people waited in line as the polls opened at 7 a.m. Robert Streat, 73, was among the first to cast a ballot, a personal in-person voting tradition he said dates back decades.
Streat said he opposes Biden’s agenda and worries the country is changing too fast from the values he helped defend in Vietnam. He said he supported Republican candidates in the election.
“This country is going to hell if we don’t change it. We’ve got too many people who hate it,” he said. “We should control the government but we’ve lost it.”
But Jonathan Copeland, 55, said he worries that Republican control of the House and Senate would mean further erosion of abortion rights, which he supports. Copeland said he voted to help defend the seat of U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat in danger of losing to Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. A Laxalt victory would help flip the Senate to Republican control.
“What politician has the right to tell a woman what to do?” Copeland said.
– Trevor Hughes
Voting rights in the United States:A state-by-state analysis
Warnock says he’s focused on today, not runoff
At a canvass event in Atlanta, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock referenced the late Rep. John Lewis and encouraged supporters to keep working and “get into some good trouble.”
With a heated Senate race between incumbent Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker, tight polling suggests its possible neither opponent will clinch more than 50% of the vote. Warnock commented on the possibility of a runoff, saying he’s focused only on the race at hand.
“We will do whatever we need to do to bring this home for the people of Georgia because failure is not an option,” he told reporters.
– Clare Mulroy
Bolduc says he will accept Election results if he loses to Hassan
NEW HAMPSHIRE – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc said Tuesday his opponent, Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, is out of touch in accusing him of being “extreme” and an “election-denier,” saying he will concede the election Tuesday if he loses.
“That’s a big ‘if’ right now,” said Bolduc, who before September’s primary said the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. He has since said he believes Biden won the election, but has changed that position multiple times. Hassan said Tuesday morning Bolduc had been “working to cast doubt” on the election process during the campaign.
“I don’t know why she’s worried about it. She feels the elections are safe and secure, so why is she worrying about something she already believes in?” Bolduc said. “I’m not going to lose. I’m going to win. She has no worries there.”
Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general, made those remarks after voting at the Stratham Memorial School in the town where he lives.
– Max Sullivan
Pennsylvania Senate candidates vote
Both candidates vying for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat have cast their ballots. Fetterman and Oz tweeted photos earlier this morning with their wives.
After voting in Montgomery County, Oz told reporters that “Pennsylvania is going to send a message to Washington.”
Oz did not answer whether he would accept election results “no matter what” or comment on the recent federal lawsuit to have mail-in ballots counted regardless of date discrepancies.
– Clare Mulroy
In Pennsylvania Senate race, debate erodes Fetterman’s lead
A rocky debate performance has eroded Democrat John Fetterman’s lead over Republican Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s pivotal Senate race, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.
The contest is up for grabs, the survey shows, with an unusually high 19% of independents undecided, even as early voting has opened.
Fetterman is at 47% and Oz is at 45%. In a USA TODAY Network poll taken in late September, Fetterman had led 46%-40%.
The only debate between the candidates cost support for Fetterman, who sometimes struggled with words in the aftermath of a stroke he suffered in May. More than half of those surveyed watched last week’s debate, and they overwhelmingly judged Oz as the winner, 62%-17%.
Read the whole story here:Rocky debate erodes Fetterman’s lead over Oz in pivotal Pennsylvania Senate race
– Susan Page
Poll near Election Day shows Budd leading Beasley in North Carolina
A new survey shows three-term Republican Rep. Ted Budd is leading opponent Cheri Beasley in the North Carolina Senate race.
Half of voters said they will be backing Budd for the Senate seat, according to a poll from Emerson College Polling and The Hill. Forty-five percent of voters said they support North Carolina state Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley, giving Budd a five-point lead.
The poll found 2% of voters remain undecided.
Read more here:New poll shows GOP Rep. Ted Budd leads in NC Senate race against Democrat Cheri Beasley
– Rachel Looker
When do the polls close in my state?:A complete breakdown for Election Day 2022.
Which races will determine control of the Senate?
Analysts originally projected November to be a blowout victory for Republicans across the board in the face of low approval ratings for Biden and voter concerns about the economy and inflation.
But the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, a series of legislative wins for Democrats on Capitol Hill, and primary victories by Trump-backed GOP candidates in battleground states gave Democrats momentum.
Now, amid the seats up for grabs in 2022, eight races in particular are key to both parties’ hopes for controlling the upper chamber: Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
Eight to watch:These midterm election races will determine who controls the Senate
– Ken Tran, Sarah Elbeshbishi
