Image source, Reuters

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has just spoken to supporters shortly after he was projected to win re-election.

DeSantis garnered praise in the state for eschewing Covid-19 restrictions, and he credited his victory to turning the state into "a refuge of sanity when the world went mad".

He also put his victory down to turning the state into "a citadel of freedom" that ignored "the woke agenda" of left-wingers.

DeSantis called his victory by the largest margin for any Florida governor in four decades "a win for the ages" - but did not address rumours of a 2024 presidential run, though he hinted that he is "not done fighting".

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's projected re-election has stoked speculation that he could run for president in 2024.

At his watch party in Tampa, supporters are now hearing the governor's victory speech.

Donald Trump - who is eyeing a return to the White House - warned his chief rival earlier today that he could "hurt himself very badly" if he joined the race.

We'll bring you the latest from his speech - and if he addresses the 2024 talk.

Samantha Granville
Reporting from Arizona

The judge has denied the request to extend voting hours for an additional three hours in the Maricopa lawsuit in Arizona.

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According to our partners at CBS News, the Senate races in Arizona and Wisconsin are currently too close to call.

Republican Blake Masters is challenging Democratic Senator Mark Kelly for his seat in Arizona, while Democrat Mandela Barnes is in a match-up with Republican Senator Ron Johnson in Wisconsin.

Voting has just ended in another 10 states - mostly in the US West.

Arizona and Wisconsin, where key races are taking place, are among the states that just closed polling stations.

The others are Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York and Wyoming.

In Arizona, Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is facing off against challenger Blake Masters, a businessman. We're also watching the governor's race there between Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs

In Wisconsin, Republican SenatorRon Johnson is facing a challenge for his seat from Democratic Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes

In Colorado, Republican construction company owner Joe O’Dea is trying to unseat Democratic Senator Michael Bennet

In New York, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul has seen an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, voting locations in Arizona have experienced issues with the machines that tally the votes.

That led the Republican national party to sue and call for an extension of poll hours in Maricopa County, the apparent centre of the drama.

Polls in Arizona were set to close at 21:00 eastern time (02:00 GMT) - but the national party has called for the polls in Maricopa to stay open an extra hour "because voting machines in over 25% of voting locations have experienced significant issues".

A hearing over this lawsuit is now being held in the state, and the judge will have to make a quick decision before the polls close.

Hello from Washington! Razia Iqbal and Justin Webb are live from DC for the election night special radio programme. They are joined by reporters and experts from across the US as the results come in.

The programme is airing across the BBC World Service and BBC Sounds until 01:00 eastern time (06:00 GMT) on Wednesday morning.

BBC Radio 4's Today will feature updates from Justin between 01:00 and 04:00 eastern time (06:00 and 09:00 GMT), and Americast will also react to the night.

Jane O'Brien
Reporting from New Hampshire

The Senate race in New Hampshire has been rated as "leaning Democrat" by the BBC's US broadcast partner, CBS. There are a lot of worried faces among officials at a Republican campaign party in Manchester.

On the ground in the Granite state, a Republican party official has told me he’s not seeing the turnout he would like.

“We’re not winning the war on turnout,” he says. “We’re now relying on independent voters.”

But voters in reliably Republican towns appear to have stayed at home. Republican candidates in both house races could be in trouble too.

No surprises, but here are the Senate seats that are so far projected to remain in Republican hands.

• We've reported earlier that Marco Rubio has held on to his senate seat in Florida
• In Oklahoma, both James Langford and Markwayne Mullin have held on to their seats
• In Alabama, Katie Britt is projected to hold on to her seat
• Tim Scott held his Senate seat in South Carolina
• And Todd Young will remain Senator from Indiana

The Senate races in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Georgia remain toss-ups.

View all results here.

A 25-year-old Democrat is projected to become the first-ever member of Generation Z in Congress, according to CBS News.

Maxwell Alejandro Frost is poised to defeat Republican Calvin Wimbish in their House race and will keep Florida's solidly blue 10th congressional district in Democratic hands.

Frost is one of two Gen Zers on the 2022 ballot; Republican Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire is the other.

Young voters turned out in big numbers in the 2018 midterms as well as the 2020 presidential election.

Watch below to find out what Gen Z has been doing to influence the election this year:

Even slim Republican majority in House would slam door on Biden agendapublished at 01:29 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

01:29 GMT 9 November 2022

Anthony Zurcher
Reporting from Washington

It appears probable that Republicans, as widely predicted, will take control of the House of Representatives when the new Congress meets at the start of next year.

If so, the question turns to how big a majority they might have.

Like a big storm, a true wave election can uproot some incumbent politicians who were assumed to be safe. It could be time to start watching for such surprises.

But even if Republicans end up with only a slim majority in the House, it effectively will slam the door shut on Joe Biden’s legislative agenda for the next two years and tee up a level of aggressive congressional oversight that the president has avoided so far.

Image source, .

Polls closed at 19:30 eastern (00:30 GMT) in Ohio, where Republican JD Vance has faced an unexpectedly stiff challenge from Democrat Tim Ryan for the open Ohio Senate seat.

Here are some images from around the state.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

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Image source, EPA

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Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump on Tuesday evening predicted that Republicans will win Congress, saying that he will be personally blamed if they don't.

"Well, I think if they win, I should get all the credit. If they lose, I should not be blamed at all," he told the conservative network NewsNation.

"Usually what would happen is, when they do well, I won't be given any credit, and if they do badly they will blame everything on me," he added.

"So I'm prepared for everything, but we will defend ourselves."

He also added a few more digs at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is considered to be a possible rival for the Republican White House nomination in 2024.

Trump took credit for DeSantis's victory, saying that his endorsement is what got the governor across the line in 2019.

"I thought that he could have been more gracious. But that’s up to him,” Trump said.

Earlier today, Trump told reporters that he had voted for DeSantis after emerging from a polling station in Palm Beach, Florida.

John Sudworth
Reporting from Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is a story of two races.

For the US Senate seat, it's a Trump-backed celebrity TV doctor against a Democrat facing a major health challenge on the campaign trail – Dr Mehmet Oz vs John Fetterman.

Fetterman's stroke earlier this year may have raised doubts about fitness for office in the minds of some voters, and with the polls neck and neck in the run-up to election day, that’s bad news for Democrats.

His appeal to blue-collar workers contrasted with his opponent's perceived aloofness - a campaign ad in which Dr Oz was seen shopping for crudité was held up as exhibit A - and should have put him much further ahead.

In the governor's race however, Republican Doug Mastriano's brand of far-right Christian nationalism coupled with his election denialism appear to have cost him broader appeal and - if Democrat Josh Shapiro is elected – there'll be some comfort in the demonstration of the limits of the baseless stolen election narrative.

Of course, the results could take days to announce because of Pennsylvania's counting system and there's concern that, while the waiting goes on, it'll only provide fertile ground for new conspiracies.

The House of Representatives is leaning towards Republicans taking control from Democrats, according to an estimate from CBS News, the BBC's partner in the US.

Image source, .

The Senate race in Pennsylvania between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz is currently rated a toss-up, according to analysis of results in so far by CBS News, our partners in the US.

Republican Ron DeSantis is projected to retain his governor's seat, according to our partners at CBS News.

Florida is considered a swing state with the power to tip presidential elections.

DeSantis is widely expected to challenge Trump for the presidency in 2024.

Republican senator Marco Rubio is also projected to keep his seat.

Polls just closed in the key states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas.

However, voting has been extended in one Pennsylvania county for two extra hours - until 22:00 eastern time - after a polling site ran out of paper ballots.

Polling sites also just began closing in over a dozen other states. They are Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Tennessee, and Washington DC (which isn't technically a state).

In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer is facing off against Trump-endorsed Tudor Dixon. A ballot initiative on changing the state constitution over abortion is also up for a vote.

Pennsylvania features one of the most high-profile Senate races, with Democrat John Fetterman facing off against Republican TV host Dr Mehmet Oz.

In Texas, sitting Republican Governor Greg Abbott is fending off a challenge from Democrat Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman and darling of the left.

Republican Rand Paul is projected to retain his Senate seat, according to our partners at CBS News.

Republican senator Tim Scott of South Carolina is also projected to hold his seat.