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Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis has advanced to a second term despite an ominous campaign threat from Donald Trump, according to Associated Press projections. Mr Trump had warned that Mr DeSantis “could hurt himself very badly” if he tried to run for president in 2024, as many people speculated he might. Some political operatives and pundits see Mr. DeSantis, who has gained national notoriety for stoking culture wars over race and gender in Florida schools, as a younger, smarter, less gaffe-prone version of Mr. Trump. But Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he voted for Mr. DeSandis Meanwhile, the former president himself wasted no time making baseless allegations of voter fraud and calling on his followers to protest before the midterm polls even closed. Follow below for live updates.

Basic points

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There are no congratulations for Ron DeSantis yet

It’s been nearly 90 minutes since the AP invited Ron DeSandis to run Florida, and so far we haven’t seen a congratulatory message from Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump’s Truth Social account went silent at 9:31 p.m. EST, while the AP called the race at 8:03 p.m. Maybe he’s busy? Io Dodds9 November 2022 02:31 1667960694

How Trump’s Misleading Claim About Detroit Voting Malfunctions Spread

Trump isn’t the only one touting misleading claims of election malpractice in Detroit. Christina Karamo, a Republican running for Michigan secretary of state, received information that some Detroit voters said they had already cast as evidence supporting her recent lawsuit alleging corruption in the city’s counting process. Ms Karamo’s tweet, based on a report by local journalist Charlie Langton, failed to mention that those voters were not prevented from voting and that election officials had promised to make sure such votes were counted. Hours later, the city said it traced the problems to a “harmless data error” in a system designed to prevent double voting. That didn’t stop Ms. Karamo’s claims from spreading across the pro-Trump social media world, thanks in large part to Mr. Trump and his outlaw Dinesh D’Souza. According to the Election Integrity Partnership, a coalition of disinformation researchers, the claim has spread not only in English, but also in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin. Ms Karamo’s lawsuit was dismissed on Monday by a Michigan judge, who said she had “dramatically failed” to support her arguments with “any shred of evidence”. Io Dodds9 November 2022 02:24 1667959210

Opinion: Trump ends the midterms with lies and self-obsession

Writing for The Independent’s Voices section, Andrew Buncombe takes a look at the characteristically crazy way Donald Trump closed the midterm campaign: If the former president was slow to get back on the campaign trail, he has more than made up for it since then, appearing nonstop over the past 18 months, relentless with his bogus claims of vote fraud and victimization. On Monday night, he returned to Ohio for a final two-hour pre-election rally. And just like at the event in the summer of 2021, the speech he delivered on Monday was full of lies, insults and a self-obsession that seems to know no bounds. Read the full piece below: Megan Sheets November 9, 2022 02:00 1667957634

Read more at DeSantis

Here’s my colleague Alex Woodward with the full story on Ron DeSantis and his excellence at Florida. Io Dodds9 November 2022 01:33 1667957279

DeSantis wins Florida despite Trump threat

Mr. DeSantis is credited with beating Democrat Charlie Crist, securing a second term and boosting his influence and popularity among the Republican base. The victory can only heighten speculation that he could challenge Mr. Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination, given his success in becoming a national face for America’s culture wars over race and gender in schools. Trump had suggested ominously that DeSantis “could hurt himself very badly” if he got off, while Trump lawyer Alina Haba said: “Stay where you are. You’re doing a great job in Florida.” Mr. DeSantis now has four more years in office, but of course that wouldn’t stop him from resigning if he thinks he has a shot at the White House. So far, Mr. Trump has not congratulated Mr. DeSantis on his victory. Io Dodds9 November 2022 01:27 1667955610

Trump lawyer settles controversy over interim results

Christina Bobb, a former OAN anchor serving as one of Donald Trump’s lawyers in the Mar-a-Lago case, appeared on the Right Side Broadcasting Network Monday night as her boss prepared for his rally in Ohio — and added to the chorus of right-wing voices already spinning a narrative of Democratic electoral malpractice if the midterm results don’t go Republican by the early hours of Wednesday. This prediction of an acceptable percentage of vote counts is completely arbitrary and based on a standard conspiracy theory that the Democrats will somehow tamper with the vote counts after all the voting is done – in turn providing a condition to question the validity of all mail-in ballots, which tend to be added to tallies later in the counting process, tend to favor Democrats and in some states can be added to the total tally long after in-person voting closes. Megan Sheets9 November 2022 01:00 1667952985

“Save on My Pillow products now!”

At this critical moment for American democracy, former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka focuses on the most important issues. “Save BIG on MY PILLOW products RIGHT NOW!” the Hungarian-American radio host tweeted Tuesday night, offering followers a personal discount code for MyPillow.com. The pillow and bedding supplier has become a favorite of MAGA conservatives because of its boss Mike Liddell’s outspoken support for Mr Trump’s conspiracy theories about stealing the 2020 election. Io Dodds9 November 2022 00:16 1667952010

Trump shares Melania’s reaction to ‘pee’ rumor.

Trump told a midterm crowd that former First Lady Melania Trump did not believe the salacious allegations in the Steele dossier, former British spy Christopher Steele’s infamous and now debunked investigative file about the Trump campaign’s alleged contacts with Russia. The investigation, funded by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee, alleged among other things that Trump paid prostitutes in Moscow to urinate on a hotel bed once used by Barack and Michelle Obama. Trump, a known germaphobe, said his wife did not believe the allegations. “He told me, ‘I know this is none of your business,’” Trump said. “You know why? Because I’m a germ monster.” The Independent’s Josh Marcus has more: Megan Sheets November 9, 2022 12:00 AM 1667950849

Trump warns Ron DeSandis ‘could hurt himself if he runs’

Former President Donald Trump continued to be wary of his potential 2024 opponent, Ron DeSandis, telling Fox News that a campaign could hurt the Florida governor. Mr Trump spoke to Fox on his plane for an exclusive interview and said he had “no problem” with Mr DeSantis, but said it would be a “wrong” for him to run. “I don’t know if it’s running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself a lot. I really think he could hurt himself,” Trump said. “I think he would be wrong, I think he wouldn’t like the grassroots – I don’t think it would be good for the party.” Oliver O’Connell8 November 2022 23:40 1667950249

Watch: Trumps says he’ll back McCarthy but probably not McConnell

Donald Trump tells Newsmax he probably won’t endorse Mitch McConnell for Senate GOP leader, but he will “absolutely” endorse Kevin McCarthy for the House. Oliver O’Connell November 8, 2022 11:30 p.m