US midterm elections 2022: both Senate and House remain in balance as counting continues – live

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Arizona Democrats are maintaining small but dwindling leads over their Republican rivals in the races for US Senate and governor, the AP reports. The races remained too early to call two days after the election, with some 600,000 ballots left to count, about a quarter of the total cast.

Protracted vote counts have for years been a staple of elections in Arizona, where the overwhelming majority of votes are cast by mail and many people wait until the last minute to return them. But as Arizona has morphed from a Republican stronghold to a competitive battleground, the delays have increasingly become a source of national anxiety.

After opening big leads early on election night, when only mail ballots returned early were reported, Democrats have seen their leads dwindled as more Republican ballots have been counted. On Thursday morning, Democrats led in the races of Senate, governor and secretary of state, while the race for attorney general was essentially tied. It could take several days before it’s clear who won some of the closer contests.

Republican Kari Lake was about half a point behind Democratic secretary of state Katie Hobbs in the race for governor, a contest that has centered heavily on Lake’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election. The Republican candidate for attorney general also trailed narrowly.

Democrats had more comfortable 5-point margins in the races for US Senate and secretary of state, but with so many ballots outstanding, the races remain too early to call.

David Smith, the Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief, offers this analysis of the results today, arguing that Democrats are breathing a sigh of relief – but their troubles are far from over:

For all their deflation, Republicans appear on course to capture a majority in the House of Representatives, albeit by a far smaller margin than history has suggested or crystal ball gazers had forecast.

That means the end of Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s reign as House speaker, at least for now. Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has announced his intention to take the speaker’s gavel. It might be better described as a poisoned chalice.

Should McCarthy prevail, his achingly slim majority will afford little room for maneuver when it comes to legislating. McCarthy will have to do deals either with Democrats or far-right Trump loyalists. In a House where every member fancies him or herself as president, the speaker could find himself perpetually bending to the will of Marjorie Taylor Greene.

It is hardly a prescription for national unity. Whatever happens in the Senate, which may be decided again in a Georgia runoff, America is returning to an era of divided government and two years of grinding trench warfare.

That spells trouble for Biden’s legislative agenda, echoing the plight of Barack Obama, who did big things in his first two years as president but found slim pickings over the following six.

Biden, who campaigned as an apostle of bipartisanship and did enjoy some wins – on infrastructure, gun safety, military veterans’ benefits – will now find Republicans more combative as everything comes to be seen through the prism of the 2024 election.

Read more of David Smith’s analysis here: Democrats are breathing a sigh of relief. But their troubles are far from over

Welcome to our continued coverage of the 2022 US midterm elections, where Senate control is still considered a toss-up as key races remain uncalled, and in the battle to control the House the Republicans have secured 217 seats compared to 184 that have gone for the Democrats. With 391 of 435 races called, the Republicans have gained six seats, which may well just be enough to put them on course for the slimmest of majorities. Here’s what we know so far:

The fierce race between Georgia‘s Democratic incumbent senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker moved to a runoff. Warnock is narrowly leading Walker, but neither candidate will be able to clear the 50% threshold needed to win outright after the polls closed on Tuesday and avoid a 6 December runoff.

In Nevada as of midday on Wednesday, with about 77% of the votes counted, Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto was trailing her Republican rival Adam Laxalt, 47.2% to 49.9%. Both candidates have urged patience as residents wait to hear the outcome of the race and several other close elections, which could take days.

Arizona‘s Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly was ahead of his Republican challenger, Blake Masters, 51.4% to 46.4%, with 45% of the vote counted.

The Democrats need to win two of those Senate seats to effectively maintain control of the Senate with a 50-50 split on Senators and the vice president having the casting vote.

You can find all of the latest results on our interactive: US midterm election results 2022 – live