A former adviser has urged Donald Trump to delay any announcement about whether he will run for president again, saying "Georgia needs to be the focus of every Republican in the country right now".
Look back on how Thursday's events unfolded with our blog.
Key events
Live updates
By Jessica Riga
Stay up to date with the latest results from the US midterm elections
This is where we'll have to leave the live blog for this afternoon, but thanks for following along!
At the time of typing...
- Neither party has yet secured enough seats for a majority in the Senate or the House
- Republicans are currently ahead in the House, with 207 seats to the Democrats' 184
We'll be back tomorrow to tackle all your curly questions with a US midterms Q&A live blog from 10:00 AEDT with the ABC's North America correspondent Barbara Miller and News Breakfast co-host Michael Rowland — you won't want to miss it!
In the meantime, you can stay up to date with the latest results right here, anddownload the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest news.
See you tomorrow!
By Jessica Riga
Here's where things currently stand
Republicans are likely to take back control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate still hangs in the balance.
Here's the current state of play:
- Republicans needs a net gain of five seats to control the House of Representatives and just one seat to win back the Senate
- The remaining undecided senate races include Alaska, Nevada and Arizona
- Exactly who will win in Alaska's US Senate contest isn’t clear, but it will be a Republican, with Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka andincumbent SenatorLisa Murkowski in a tight race with neither on track to win a majority. It means the race will proceed to ranked choice voting later this month.
- In Georgia, Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will face a runoff in December after neither reached a majority. A runoff means they run the election again but with just two people in the race
- Abortion rights supporters have won in four states where access was on the ballot, in Michigan, California, Vermont and Kentucky
By Bridget Judd
The 'red wave' didn't eventuate across the US, but a 'red asteroid' hit Florida
For some Democrats, losing South Florida's Miami-Dade County was unthinkable.
The state's largest county in population and a Democratic stronghold has been a staging ground for virtually every successful statewide Democratic campaign for the last two decades.
But in yesterday's midterms, the GOP shattered the Democrats' Miami-Dade firewall, raising questions about their ability to compete in future statewide elections — including the 2024 presidential race — as Republicans expand their coalition in a way that could echo beyond Florida.
With the final votes still being counted, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Marco Rubio defeated their Democratic opponents by close to 20 points.
In Miami-Dade specifically, their wins could ultimately touch double digits.
"The Florida Democratic Party has completely collapsed," said Giancarlo Sopo, a Republican strategist.
"This wasn’t just a wave or a tsunami. It was a red asteroid that hit them in Florida.”
AP
By Shiloh Payne
Betting a bust in California sports gambling bid
The most expensive ballot proposition gamble in US history went bust as California voters overwhelmingly rejected sports betting initiatives by Native American tribes and the gaming industry.
With more than 4.6 million votes counted, a measure largely supported by gaming companies that would have allowed adults to wager on mobile devices and online had only 16% support.
A proposition that would have legalised sports gambling at tribal casinos and horse tracks had less than 30% support.
More than 30 other states allow sports betting, but gambling in California is currently limited to Native American casinos, horse tracks, card rooms and the state lottery.
"Our internal polling has been clear and consistent for years: California voters do not support online sports betting," said Anthony Roberts, tribal chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.
"Voters have real and significant concerns about turning every cellphone, laptop and tablet into a gambling device, the resulting addiction and exposure to children."
By Jessica Riga
What are some important takeaways for the Republicans and Democrats?
Congress reporter for Semafor Kadia Goba also shared with Planet America the most important takeaways from the midterms for each party.
For the Democrats:
"I think it’s very clear that they messaged improperly.
"When Americans are hurting with gas prices or inflation, that is something you need to pay attention to.
"Democrats instead messaged on abortion and January 6, or democracy – it kind of lost attention when you go into the grocery store and eggs are five dollars."
For the Republicans:
"They have a real problem with bringing out voters.
"It probably has to do with people in the Rep party that the elections are fraudulent.
"Unless they can convince their voter base that it is important to go out, I think they’re going to struggle."
By Jessica Riga
What will the change in House majority mean?
With Republicans set to take the House, Congress reporter for Semafor Kadia Goba told ABC’s Planet America that they have some plans.
“Republicans have already been very clear about their intentions to investigate the Biden administration.
"What we’re going to see is lots of probing around Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
"Also, probably attempts to secure the border but by way of investigation … possibly impeach Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary who governs the border, and bring a lot of the officials in the Biden admin up for hearings inside Congress.”
But will they be a cohesive and effective majority? Goba says:
“My prediction is that we’re going to see the Tea Party movement – but on steroids.
"What you’re going to see is the right pulling Kevin McCarthy, and some of the baseline republicans, further and further right – or at least threatening them."
By Jessica Riga
Speaking of Alaska... keep an eye on Mary Peltola
As well as the senate, Alaska's house race is also ranked choice and probably going to be determined later in November. If she keeps her lead and wins, Mary Peltola will be the first person of Alaskan native ancestory elected to a full term in congress. Alaska's elections have been very interesting this year.
- Adam
Thanks for writing in, Adam! This is such a nice piece of information.
For those out of the loop, this is Democrat Mary Peltola.
She's currently leading the votes ahead of Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich for Alaska's only House seat.
But no one has more than 50% of the votes, meaning the race will go to ranked voting on November 23.
Peltola, who is Yup'ik, became the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress and the first woman to hold Alaska's seat.
By Jessica Riga
Why AP called Alaska’s Senate race for Republicans
Exactly who’ll win Alaska's US Senate contest isn’t clear, but it will be a Republican.
Donald Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka and Republican incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski are in a tight race with neither on track to win more than 50 per cent of the vote. And in Alaska, that means the race will proceed to ranked choice voting later this month.
In Alaska, the top four finishers in the primary advance to the general election, where ballots are counted in rounds.
A candidate can win outright with more than 50% of the vote in the first round. But if no candidate hits that threshold, the race moves on to ranked choice voting.
In that process, the candidate with the fewest votes in the initial count of votes is eliminated, and voters who chose that candidate as their top pick have their vote replaced with their second-choice pick.
These elimination rounds continue until two candidates remain, and whoever has the most votes at the end wins.
Those ranked choice tabulation rounds are expected to take place November 23.
The race also includes Democrat Pat Chesbro and Republican Buzz Kelley, who ended his campaign in September and supported Tshibaka.
It's clear from the vote count they will be eliminated in the ranked choice process, leaving Tshibaka and Murkowski as the two finalists. And as both Tshibaka and Murkowski are Republicans, that means it's also clear the GOP will hold that seat in the next Congress.
The Associated Press has not declared either Tshibaka and Murkowski the winner. But AP has also concluded that one or the other will end up as the winner, and that’s why the seat is a hold for the GOP.
Reporting by Associated Press
By Bridget Judd
US vote counting unaffected by cyberattacks, officials say
A few state and local governments appeared to be hit by a relatively rudimentary form of cyberattack that periodically made public websites unreachable yesterday.
But US and local officials said that none breached vote-counting infrastructure.
“We have seen no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was any way compromised in any race in the country,” Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, said in a statement.
CISA and other federal agencies had warned that safeguarding US elections has become more complex than ever, with the most serious threats from domestic sources.
Foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran have tried to meddle in individual campaigns and amplify false or misleading narratives on social media.
AP
By Jessica Riga
Arizona counts votes publicly in the hope of heading off conspiracy theories
Reporting by North America correspondent Carrington Clarke and Cameron Schwarz in Phoenix, Arizona
In Arizona, neither the race for governor or the US Senate have been called just yet.
We went to a tabulation centre in Phoenix where about 400,000 votes still need to be counted.
The media was invited to watch the process as state officials are very keen to be transparent about the process, and attempt to quell some of the conspiracy theories in this state.
Arizona is really ground zero for this growing paranoia in America about the integrity of the US election system.
After President Joe Biden won the state in the 2020 election, Donald Trump claimed widespread voter fraud had occurred.
Recounts showed that Biden’s victory was legitimate, but the damage from that drawn-out process has been done.
The situation was certainly not helped yesterday when 60 out of 223 polling stations had issues with printers that slowed down the process for voters.
Kari Lake, who’s running to be governor and has a history of questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election, seized on the problem and implied it was a sign of fraud.
That’s raised fears that if she’s shown to have lost her race, she may refuse to concede defeat.
They’re expecting that in Maricopa county, which is the Phoenix metro area and accounts for about 60 of the state’s population, between 95 and 99 of their votes will be counted by the end of the weekend.
But given how close the votes currently are, it’s possible that still won’t give a definitive answer and there’s a high likelihood of legal challenges.
And so these election workers go through the painstaking process of counting every vote while America watches.
By Shiloh Payne
Kevin McCarthy's quest to be speaker collides with GOP failures
The promise of a red wave receding, Republicans are facing the stark reality that any return to power would mean presiding over a narrowly split Congress, and the party's performance weakened House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy as he reaches for the speaker's gavel.
If Republicans pick up the remaining seats needed to break the Democrats' one-party hold on Washington, McCarthy could rise to the position, but he would almost certainly be diminished, like so many other GOP speakers before him who were forced out or chose early retirement.
"Look, we were told we were going to have an incredible, incredible wave," said Andy Biggs, a leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, in an online streaming show.
"If that would have been the case," with a 20-, 30- or 40-seat margin, "you would say, 'Well, OK, Kevin is the presumptive Republican nominee for speaker. But I think we need to have a serious discussion."
By Bridget Judd
After yesterday's big votes, life returns to normal in the US
By Jessica Riga
Split-ticket voting has played a significant role in key senate races
In Georgia, some voters have ‘split’ their ticket by voting for Republican Governor Brian Kemp and Democrat Senate candidate Raphael Warnock – instead of voting Republican all the way down the ballot.
In Pennsylvania, some cast votes for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro and Republican candidate Mehmet Oz – although, Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman has won the Pennsylvania race.
Republican Candidate for California State Controller Lanhee Chan saw split-ticket voting in his state too.
Here’s what he told the ABC’s Planet America:
“Even in my own race we’re seeing about six to seven per cent of people split their tickets, which is a remarkable thing when you think about how easy it is to vote one party all the way down the ballot.
"I’ve always believed you’ve got to evaluate candidates based on who they are, what they stand for and where they’re going as opposed to just partisan labels.
"That’s become increasingly harder in a lot of ways as out politics in the US become more partisan.
"I think the fact that you’re seeing that happening in a lot of different places … I think that’s probably a good thing for the system generally that we’re seeing that kind of activity happening."
Chan also shared his reflections on the midterm results so far, and what it means for his party:
“I really believe that to be successful, the Republican party needs to look forward not backward.
"It needs to have a nominee who doesn’t come from the past, who isn’t over the age of 70.
"I think there’s any number of reasons why, in my personal view, Donald Trump ought not to be the future of the party.
"That been said, I think it’s unquestionable that he still has the support of a very significant percentage of Republicans across the country."
By Shiloh Payne
Obama: 'Democracy is resilient as long as we stay engaged'
Former US president Barack Obama says the US is moving towards a "more free" country, but it has a ways to go.
By Jessica Riga
It's a tight race for Kari Lake, too
It's turning out to be a nail-biter for controversial Republican candidate Kari Lake, who says she's going to win "BIGLY."
The GOP nominated a slate of candidates who earned Trump's endorsement after falsely claiming his loss to President Joe Biden was tainted.
Among them is former television news anchor Kari Lake who is about half a point behind Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs in the race for governor, a contest that centered heavily on Lake's baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
By Shiloh Payne
Abortion supporters have won in conservative and liberal states
Abortion rights supporters won in the four states where access was on the ballot, as voters enshrined it into the state constitution in battleground Michigan as well as California and Vermont and dealt a defeat to an anti-abortion measure in Kentucky.
The US election results reflected how voters' views on abortion rights can play out in complicated ways.
By narrow margins, Wisconsin voters re-elected their pro-choice Democratic governor and an anti-abortion GOP senator.
Kansas re-elected a Democratic governor who supports abortion rights.
Meanwhile, staunchly anti-abortion GOP governors in Georgia, Florida and Texas easily won their contests.
By Bridget Judd
Donald Trump urged to delay 2024 launch after uneven election
As we heard a little earlier, some of those close to the former president have reportedly recommended he postpone his "big announcement" set for next week.
Now former Trump advisor Jason Miller, who spent the night with Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, says "Georgia needs to be the focus of every Republican in the country".
"I’ll be advising him that he move his announcement until after the Georgia runoff,” he said.
"Georgia needs to be the focus of every Republican in the country right now."
By Shiloh Payne
Outcome takes heat off White House, analyst says
Amy Walter, an analyst who leads the Cook Political Report, says Democrats were arguing from the beginning that they needed to make this election a choice rather than a referendum.
"And essentially, they did," she tells AP.
Ms Walter says Democrats were able to maintain support in the midterms even from voters who believe that "Biden is not living up to their expectations, or they are feeling disappointed of his stewardship."
The outcome takes the heat off the White House, at least for now.
"The pressure goes from 'How is Biden going to explain himself post election?' to 'How is Trump going to explain himself?'" she says.
"The more intriguing conversations are happening on the Republican side."
By Jessica Riga
Bernie Sanders praises young voters
US Senator Bernie Sanders says younger voters had a huge impact on last night's midterm results.
"Without the major turnout of younger voters, we would have seen a very different outcome in last night's elections," he tweeted.
"But now I am asking the younger generations: continue to stay engaged in the struggle. We have an enormous amount of work ahead of us."
By Jessica Riga
Lauren Boebert is fighting to hold onto her seat in the House
Controversial Republican Lauren Boebert is currently locked in a tight race in her bid for reelection to a House seat in Colorado.
She's currently 64 votes behind Democratic challenger Adam Frisch, a businessman and former city councilman from the posh, mostly liberal ski town of Aspen.
The Donald Trump loyalist established herself as a partisan flashpoint in Washington in her first term, and had been favoured to win reelection after redistricting made the conservative and mostly rural conservative district more Republican.
