Georgia will be centre of the political universepublished at 19:29 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2022

19:29 GMT 9 November 2022

Gary O'Donoghue
Reporting from Georgia

Who a run-off will benefit more depends on what happens in the existing Senate races.

Because in some ways, if the Democrats hold onto those other two outstanding Senate seats that are up, Nevada and Arizona, then they hold onto control without Georgia.

So yes, Georgia would then become a bitterly fought run-off, but not one that's a battle for controlling the Senate.

But if one of those were to go to the Republicans then Georgia becomes centre stage in who gets to run the upper chamber of Congress and its committees, as well as who gets to approve judges - potentially even Supreme Court justices - for the next two years.

So there is an awful lot at stake, with these two candidates here pretty much as neck-and-neck as you can be - just not quite enough to get over that 50% mark.

A lot of money, activists and political advertising will flood this state for the next four weeks, as people try to battle for this seat.

Because the Democrats would definitely like, if all goes well for them elsewhere, to have 51 Senators - not just a 50/50 split - as that would allow Joe Biden a little bit of room for manoeuvre.

The campaign I am sure will be ferocious here, it will be a hard-fought, intense four weeks.

So Georgia will be the centre of the universe politically after today, I think.

Georgia will head into a run-off election, secretary of state Brad Raffensperger has confirmed.

The Senate race in Georgia is still close between Republican Herschel Walker and Democrat Raphael Warnock - Walker has over 48% of the vote, while Warnock has 49%.

Neither of the two candidates have secured more than 50% of the vote, meaning another election has to be held per Georgia laws.

The run-off election will take place on 6 December.

You can view the full results from Georgia here.

Georgia is headed for a run-off election in the US Senate race, according to Senator Raphael Warnock, the Democratic incumbent for the state.

"We're going to a runoff, Georgia! Let's do this one more time!" Watnock said in a tweet.

Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, has about 49% of the vote while Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate, has won just over 48%.

Neither candidate has gotten over 50% of the vote, an outright majority.

We're expecting a statement from Georgia officials shortly - and we'll bring you what they say.

But it seems the state will hold a tie-breaking election known as a run-off on 6 December, for the second time in as many years.

Image source, Getty Images

The Senate vote count right now is evenly divided 48 to 48 in the 100-member upper chamber of Congress.

So with four Senate seats still to be called, why are we only talking about three seats hanging in the balance?

It's because the Alaska race has yet to be projected. Alaska has a unique "ranked choice" system that allows voters to rank their candidates rather than voting for or against one or another.

Counting these is a complicated process, but bottom line is it might not be until 23 November that we start to get actual results.

However, the race is now between two Republicans, meaning that no matter who eventually wins - incumbent Lisa Murkowski or Kelly Tshibaka - the seat will certainly go red.

The results are still coming in, and a lot of questions remain. What do you need to know? We'll put your questions to BBC correspondents across the country, to help explain the results we have so far, and what's to come. Submit your questions here or email them to YourQuestions@bbc.co.uk.

Image source, Getty Images

Pennsylvania Republican candidate Dr Mehmet Oz has called John Fetterman, the projected winner of the hotly contested Senate race there, to concede.

Fetterman's win flips a key Senate seat to the Democrats.

The contest had been close, with twists and turns in a campaign that involved everything from claims over puppy-killing to questions over the Democratic candidate's health.

We now have Oz's statement in full:

The BBC has been asking voters around the country to weigh in on results so far

I began the night prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.

So far it's been far better than I had expected given the president's unpopularity, inflation, general economic anxiety, and the fact that the incumbent party (particularly Democrats) are easily blamed for issues they inherited in a kind of political hot potato, blame game; last night was a huge win.

I'm particularly happy about Fetterman due to his stance on progressive and wealth taxes, unions, and healthcare.

It's good to see someone like that in the Senate besides Bernie Sanders... especially from a large, diverse state.

Hopefully it's a sign of things to come. At any rate, this is the best midterm performance for an incumbent party since 2002.

It's clear that Maga Republicans may not be as big a threat to democracy, as of now, as my cynical mind may have made them out to be.

Image source, Getty Images

In Colorado, Lauren Boebert - a Republican congresswoman who ran one of the most expensive campaigns for a House of Representatives bid - is in an unexpectedly close race for her seat.

Boebert, 35, emerged as a high-profile Republican during her time in Congress for her unabashed Trumpism.

She is staunchly pro-gun, once vowing to bring her handgun to the Capitol.

She also opposes same-sex marriage and has echoed Donald Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

As a House representative, Boebert represented a vast, rural stretch of Colorado. In her re-election bid, she managed to become one of the top fundraisers in Congress, raising $6.6m for her campaign.

But it appears that may not be enough for Boebert to hold on to her seat.

As of Wednesday morning, she is trailing slightly behind her conservative Democratic opponent Adam Frisch, who supports affordable healthcare and abortion rights, but opposes Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

With 93% of the votes counted, Frisch holds 50.6% of the vote, while Boebert has 49.4% - a difference of less than 4,000 votes.

Image source, Reuters

At least 400,000 votes still need to be counted in Maricopa County, Arizona

Some more on one of the critical races which is still too close to call in Arizona.

Overnight, we reported on voting machines in the Maricopa County - which includes the state's largest city Pheonix - malfunctioned and ran out of ink,

It led to voting slowing down, but the problem was swiftly fixed - according to officials.

Now, within the last hour the Maricopa County Board chair Bill Gates says a total of 400,000 votes still need to be counted.

They are having to verify every single signature.

So still a long time to go in this one and it remains a tight race between Democrat Mark Kelly and Republican opponent Blake Masters.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from Georgia

Georgia's political establishment must be experiencing a serious case of déjà vu right now.

For the second time in as many years, it appears the US Senate race here will head to a run-off election.

Senator Raphael Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, has about 49% of the vote and Herschel Walker, the Republican candidate, has won just over 48%. The two are separated by about 35,000 votes, as of writing.

If neither candidate broaches 50%, an outright majority, the state will hold a tie-breaking election known as a run-off on 6 December.

Supporters who stayed at Warnock's election night party into the early hours of Wednesday morning dreaded the prospect of a run-off but remained cautiously optimistic that their candidate could prevail.

"I'm totally shocked," said Jeannette Scott, who was at Warnock’s party with her daughter, Tia, and granddaughter, Sophia. "I didn't think it would be like this."

She predicted that, "We're going to have a run-off, but I think he’ll be alright."

Georgia will head into a run-off election, CNN and NBC are reporting.

The Senate race in Georgia is still close between Republican Herschel Walker and Democrat Raphael Warnock - Walker has over 48% of the vote, while Warnock has 49%.

Neither of the two candidates have secured more than 50% of the vote, meaning another election has to be held per Georgia laws.

Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger has not yet confirmed a runoff election, though he hinted it will be likely. He is scheduled to hold a press conference at 14:00 EST (19:00 GMT).

The run-off election would take place on 6 December.

President Joe Biden is due to speak about the Midterm results at 16:00 EST (21:00 GMT), the White House has now confirmed.

In a Tweet, external shortly before this was confirmed, he writes: "Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. We have to defend, strengthen, and renew it."

Biden also thanked "poll workers and officials that worked into the night to safeguard our sacred right to vote", as well as the "millions who made their voices heard".

Image source, Getty Images

Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, seems pleased about the election results on abortion rights.

"It turns out women enjoy having human rights, and we vote," she tweets.

As we've been reporting, voters moved to protect abortion access in several states by amending their state constitutions.

In Michigan, California and Vermont voters enshrined the right to abortion in their constitution.

Meanwhile in Kentucky, voters also made a pro-choice stand, choosing to reject a measure that would have removed abortion access from the state's constitution.

Inflation was overwhelmingly on the minds of Republican voters at the ballot box yesterday, according to the national exit poll.

Meanwhile, the majority of Democrats decided abortion was what mattered most to them.

Voters chose to reject a measure in Kentucky that would have removed abortion access protections from the state's constitution, according to news agency AP.

In other states, voters moved to protect abortion access by amending their state constitutions, including in Michigan, California and Vermont.

Here's a breakdown of issues voted on by party:

With Republican Ron Johnson's victory in Wisconsin, the battle for control of the Senate remains on a knife edge.

Therefore all eyes remain on the three Senate races set to determine if Democrats will retain control of the upper chamber of Congress, or if Republicans can seize it from them.

In Arizona, Democrat Mark Kelly is slightly in front of his Donald Trump-endorsed Blake Masters, though only 69% of the votes have been counted as it stands.

In Nevada, Republican Adam Laxalt is in the lead over Democrat incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto with 80% of the expected vote counted.

But the biggest unknown remains Georgia, where Republican candidate Herschel Walker and Democrat Raphael Warnock are functionally tied with around 49% of the vote (with 96% of expected votes counted).

It is looking probable that the southern state will hold a second, runoff election between the pair in December, given in the Georgia a candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote to win at a first attempt.

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Incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson has won re-election in Wisconsin, defeating his democratic opponent Mandela Barnes.

Image source, .

Image source, Getty Images

Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney loses his House race in New York, according to CNN and NBC.

He is the chair of the House Democratic campaign arm. If confirmed, it would be the first time a sitting House campaign chief has lost re-election since 1992, according to the Cook Political Report.

Maloney was first elected in 2012 and held the seat at each re-election until now it appears.

Projections suggest his seat will go to Republican Mike Lawler - a state assembly member from Rockland County.

Gary O'Donoghue
Washington Correspondent

Image source, .

Turnout in Georgia topped the equivalent election four years ago when 55% of eligible voters went to the polls.

Georgia's Secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, says the 2022 figure is 56.74%, with 3,945,375 ballots cast.

The key Senate race is still in the balance here, with the most likely outcome being a run-off in four weeks' time, according to the Secretary of state's office.

Votes are still being counted and officials have until 5pm today to complete that process.

Where are the wins for the Republicans and Democrats as results continue to come in?

Our North America editor Sarah Smith, Today presenter Justin Webb, North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher, and disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring look at the latest from the midterms.

They also explore where it leaves Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump as they eye up the presidential elections in 2024.

Listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds.

It may be odd for some of you to read that the Democrats are outperforming expectations today, given they look set to lose the House of Representatives and the battle for the Senate is balanced the edge of a razor.

But a quick look at the history of midterm elections, external in recent decades shows that the party with the presidency almost invariably loses control of Congress at the first time of asking.

Since Richard Nixon's first set of midterms in 1969 the presidency and Congress have been unified eight times, compared to divided 18 times.

Of those eight occasions where one party controlled both branches of the US government, only Jimmy Carter (in 1977) and George W Bush (in 2002 and 2004) managed to hold control of both the House and Senate once they were already in office.

By comparison, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton all lost control of Congress at their first midterm election - while Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush never had control of both chambers at any point of their presidency.