WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats easily fended off Republicans backed by former President Donald Trump in several left-leaning states Tuesday, while tougher tests that could determine control of Congress and the future of Joe Biden’s presidency awaited in more competitive ground.
Despite their liberal histories, states like Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois have elected moderate Republican governors in the past.  But Republicans this year appeared to be too conservative in those states, giving Democrats easy wins in midterm elections that could otherwise prove difficult for the party.
Massachusetts and Maryland also saw historic firsts: Democrat Maura Healey became the first woman elected governor of Massachusetts, as well as the first openly lesbian governor of any state, and Wes Moore became the first black governor of Maryland.
Both Democrats and Republicans saw opportunities in the other party’s strongholds, but fell short.  In the Colorado Senate race, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennett defeated Republican challenger Joe O’Dea, who was considered a formidable challenger in the liberal state because of his support for abortion rights.  In the Oklahoma governor’s race, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt won re-election despite facing an unusually tough challenge after feuding with GOP lawmakers and Oklahoma’s native tribes.
The outcome of the House and Senate races will determine the future of Biden’s agenda and serve as a referendum on his administration as the nation grapples with high inflation and concerns about the country’s direction.  Republican control of the House would likely trigger a round of investigations into Biden and his family, while a GOP takeover of the Senate would limit Biden’s ability to make judicial appointments.
Democrats were facing historic headwinds.  The incumbent party almost always suffers losses in the president’s first midterm election, but Democrats hoped anger over the Supreme Court’s abortion rights decision could mobilize their voters to reverse historic trends.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker were vying for a seat that could determine control of the Senate.  In Virginia, Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Elaine Luria fended off strong Republican challengers, which could serve as early signs of where the House majority is headed as Republicans hope to reclaim suburban districts that went Democratic. during the tumultuous presidency of Donald Trump.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis won a second term, defeating Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in what was once an increasingly Republican battleground.  DeSantis won Miami-Dade County, once a Democratic stronghold, in a victory that continues his rise as a national Republican star as he eyes a possible White House bid in 2024. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also won re-election, fending off a challenge from Democrat Val Demings and further illustrating the state’s shift to the right.
Republicans are betting that messages focused on the economy, gas prices and crime will resonate with voters at a time of soaring inflation and rising violence.
The AP VoteCast, a broad survey of the national electorate, showed that high inflation and concerns about the fragility of democracy weighed heavily on voters.
Half of voters said inflation has been significantly affected, with groceries, gas, housing, food and other costs having soared in the past year.  Slightly fewer – 44% – said the future of democracy was their primary concern.
No widespread problems with ballots or voter intimidation were reported across the country, although there were hiccups typical of most election days.  Some tax collectors did not work in a New Jersey county.  In Philadelphia, where Democrats are counting on a strong turnout, people complained of being turned away as they showed up in person to try to resolve problems with their previously mailed ballots.
In Arizona’s Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and is the state’s largest county, officials reported problems with vote counting machines in about 20 percent of voters.  That has fueled anger and skepticism about the turnout that has been growing among some Republicans since the state narrowly carried Biden in 2020.
Voters were also deciding high-profile Senate or gubernatorial races in places like Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan.  Contests were also on the ballot for secretaries of state, roles that typically draw little attention but have come under increasing scrutiny as GOP candidates who refused to accept the results of the 2020 campaign race to control the management of future elections. .
In the first national elections since the January 6 uprising, the country’s democratic future is being called into question.  Some who participated in or were close to the attack are poised to win elected office Tuesday, including several candidates for House seats.  Concerns about political violence are also mounting less than two weeks after a conspiracy theory suspect targeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and brutally beat her 82-year-old husband.
The 2022 election is expected to cost $16.7 billion at the state and federal level, making it the most expensive midterm election ever, according to nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets.
Republicans entered the final stretch of the campaign in a strong position to regain control of at least one chamber of Congress, giving them the power to thwart Biden’s agenda for the remaining two years of his term.  The GOP needed a net gain of just one seat to win the US Senate and five to retake the US House.
All the House seats were up for grabs, as were 34 Senate seats – with cliffhangers particularly likely in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.  Thirty-six states are electing governors, with many of those races also poised to reach the narrowest of margins.
The dynamics were more complicated in state capitals.  The GOP faced unexpected headwinds in upending the governor’s office in conservative Kansas.  Democrats, meanwhile, were nervous about their gubernatorial prospects in Oregon, usually a liberal stronghold.
In other gubernatorial races, Healey beat Geoff Diehl in Massachusetts and Moore beat Dan Cox in Maryland, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker defeated state Sen. Darren Bailey.  Cox and Bailey were among the far-right Republicans that Democrats spent tens of millions of dollars to boost during the primaries, betting they would be easier to defeat in the general election than their more moderate opponents.
If the GOP has a particularly strong run, winning Democratic-held congressional seats in places like New Hampshire or Washington state, it could put pressure on Biden to avoid re-election in 2024. Trump, in in between, he may try to build on GOP gains by officially launching another bid for the White House during a “very big announcement” in Florida next week.
The former president endorsed more than 300 candidates in the midterm cycle and hopes to use the Republican victories as a springboard for the 2024 presidential campaign.
“Well, I think if they win, I should take all the credit.  And if they lose, they shouldn’t blame me at all.  But it’s probably going to be the exact opposite,” Trump said in an interview with NewsNation.
It could be days or even weeks before the races — and possibly congressional control — are decided.  Some vote-by-mail states, such as Michigan, saw an increase in ballot returns compared to the 2018 midterms. Counting those votes could take longer because, in many states, ballots must be sealed by Tuesday, but they may not arrive at polling stations until days later.  In the Georgia Senate race, candidates must win at least 50% of the vote to avoid a Dec. 6 runoff.
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Associated Press writers Corey Williams in Southfield, Mich., Anita Snow in Phoenix, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Jacquelyn Martin contributed to this report.