Midterm elections 2022: first US polls close as Republicans eye gains in Senate and House – live

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Polls have just closed in Indiana and Kentucky, both states whose races aren’t viewed as tight or crucial to determining Senate control. The calm won’t last for long.

At 7 pm eastern time, voting will end in several states, including Georgia, home to one of this year’s marquee senate races as Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock attempts to fend off Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Other states where polls close include Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont, as well as the rest of Kentucky and Indiana, and part of Florida.

A slew of states shut their polling places at 8 pm eastern time, including New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, both states with Senate races are seen as crucial for determining whether Democrats can hang on to their majority for another two years. Other big states wrapping up include Maryland and parts of Texas and Michigan.

No races have been called yet, but the Associated Press just released the results of a poll that reveals a sour mood among the electorate, with voters tired of high inflation and worried about the state of both America’s economy and democracy.

The poll of 90,000 voters conducted for the AP by NORC at the University of Chicago showed half of voters say inflation was a significant factor in their vote, while 8 in 10 said they think the economy is in a poor state. Another 44% of voters said the future of American democracy was their top concern.

Here’s more from the AP:

Inflation has been a clear blow to the well-being of many Americans. A third of voters describe their families as falling behind financially. That’s nearly double the percentage of the electorate that said the same two years ago. A similar percentage say they are not confident they can keep up with their expenses.

While inflation has shaped Republican messaging in the run-up to the midterms, voters are split over pinning the blame on Biden. About half say his policies led prices to climb, while nearly as many say the inflation is due to forces outside the president’s control.

Democrats also tried to tap their base’s outrage after the Supreme Court overturned the abortion protections in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision enshrining the right to abortion. Overall, 7 in 10 voters say the ruling was an important factor in their midterm decisions.

VoteCast also shows the reversal was broadly unpopular. About 6 in 10 say they are angry or dissatisfied by it, while about 4 in 10 were pleased. And roughly 6 in 10 say they favor a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide.

Crime also was an important factor for most voters, and half say the Biden administration has made the U.S. less safe from crime.

Despite concerns about democracy, about 4 in 10 voters say they are “very” confident that votes in the midterm elections will be counted accurately, an improvement from the percentage of the 2020 electorate that said so.

Polling places will soon close in the first US states after millions of Americans cast ballots in an election that’s widely viewed as a referendum on Joe Biden‘s first two years in office, and could put Donald Trump‘s Republican allies back into control of Congress.

Voting will wrap up in Kentucky and most of Indiana at 6 pm eastern time, with other states following suit in the hours ahead. Expect the outcome of several crucial races to be called today and in the wee hours of Wednesday. Other contests are so close that they are expected to be fought to the last ballot, and it could be days before the outcomes are known.

However it shakes out, follow this live blog for the latest news on this year’s midterm elections as it happens.