Mr. Biden fielded questions from reporters at the White House for about an hour on Wednesday, in keeping with the tradition of presidents holding press conferences after midterm elections. Mr. Biden, who has said it is his “intention” to run again but has not given a definitive answer on that front, called Tuesday a “tough night” for Democrats. “It was a good day, I think, for democracy,” Mr. Biden said. “And I think it was a good day for America … Our democracy has been tested in recent years, but with their votes, the American people have spoken and proved once again that democracy is what we are.” CBS News currently estimates that the House race is tipped in favor of Republicans, and the Senate battle remains upended, as several key races in the upper chamber remain unresolved. Democrats won a Senate seat in Pennsylvania, where CBS News predicted Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz, who conceded the race on Wednesday. Overnight, a senior White House official told CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang there was a mix of “excitement” and “validation” as returns showed there was no “red wave” of Republican victories in House and Senate races. Although Democrats have lost some seats in the House, White House officials see a victory in the relatively moderate or low number of losses compared to midterms under previous presidents. As of early Wednesday morning, they were “cautiously optimistic” about retaining the Senate.
