Us Midterms 202: The Key Candidates Who Threaten Democracy
In several states Republican candidates who dispute the 2020 election results are running for positions that would give them control over elections
There are several races on the ballot this fall that will have profound consequences for American democracy. In several states, Republican candidates who doubt the 2020 election results, or in some cases actively worked to overturn them, are running for positions in which they would have tremendous influence over how votes are cast and counted. If these candidates win, there is deep concern they could use their offices to spread baseless information about election fraud and try to prevent the rightful winners of elections from being seated.
In total, 291 Republicans a majority of the partys nominees this cycle, have questioned the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, according to a Washington Post tally.
Election deniers are running for offices up and down the ballot that could play a critical role in future elections.
Heres a look at some of the key candidates who pose a threat to US democracy:
Nbc News Exit Poll: Ohio’s Increasingly Republican Electorate Carries Vance To Victory
Courtney Kennedy, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
J.D. Vances victory in Ohios Senate race appears to have much to do with the state’s political landscape. According to the NBC News Exit Poll, Ohio midterms voters identified as Republicans over Democrats by an 11-point margin. By comparison, in the last midterm election, the Ohio electorate tilted Republican by 5 percentage points.
Ohios independent midterms voters broke for Democrat Tim Ryan in the Senate race by a narrow 3-point margin. If the state were less politically lopsided, Vance would have had tougher time defeating Ryan.
Former President Trump endorsed Vance, but Trump’s favorability rating in Ohio is only slightly higher than it is nationally . Only about 1 in 5 Ohio midterms voters said supporting Trump was a reason for their votes.
Asked which candidate quality mattered most, a majority of Vance voters cited his sharing their values. Ryan voters were more likely to cite honesty and integrity .
Tina Forte New York 14th Congressional District
Republican Tina Forte’s prospects of beating popular Democratic incumbent Alexandra Ocasio- Cortez are slim in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of the Bronx and Queens. In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez beat her Republican challenger by a 44.2-point margin.
Still, Forte won the August Republican primary against challenger Desi Joseph Cuellar with over 65% of the vote. As of Sept. 30, she has raised nearly $1 million, according to federal campaign finance data.
On Jan. 6, Forte live-streamed video near the Capitol with other demonstrators. The video shows her standing in front of a poster of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with fangs. In a statement, Forte wrote, “I absolutely did NOT enter the Capitol building.” Last month, NY1 spoke with Forte, who said she joined demonstrators in Washington on Jan. 6 “to shine light on the election.” She added, “I’m not going to say I regret it because I don’t.”
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Sandy Smith Gop Nominee North Carolina 1st Congressional District
In DC fighting for Trump! Just marched from the Monument to the Capitol! #StopTheSteaI#FightForTrump
Sandy Smith NC
Sandy Smith, who is making her second run at a Congressional seat, tweeted on Jan. 6, 2021 “In DC fighting for Trump! Just marched from the monument to the Capitol!” Her participation didn’t deter Republican voters in the 1st District in North Carolina, despite the House GOP-aligned PAC running ads attacking her ahead of the Republican primary. She prevailed against seven other candidates in the May primary and went on to receive Trump’s endorsement last month.
In 2020, Smith also won the Republican primary but lost in the general election to Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield. After her defeat, she tweeted, “I ran for congress. Did better than anyone ever did in this district on the Republican side. Dominion was used in my district. My polling had me ahead. Yet somehow my opponent got truckloads of ballots without even campaigning. No audit. No precinct breakdown. Total sham! #NC01”. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Dominion voting machines were not used in any elections in the state.
Butterfield, a long-time congressman and former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, announced his retirement after redistricting made North Carolina’s 1st District friendlier to Republicans. Predictions indicate the race is leaning toward the Democratic nominee Donald Davis, a state senator who represents the 5th Legislative District.
Races In Arizona And Nevada Are Too Early To Call
Arizona is one of three states where election deniers are the GOP nominees for governor, secretary of state and attorney general. All three races remain too early to call, according to NBC News.
Kari Lake, the nominee for governor, has been in a tight race against Democrat Katie Hobbs, and ran against Democrat Adrian Fontes for secretary of state. For attorney general, Abraham Hamadeh is up against Democrat Kris Mayes. All three have questioned Bidens presidential victory or falsely said the election was stolen from Trump.
Finchem has ties to QAnon and the Oath Keepers, and he attended Trumps Stop the Steal rally before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
In Nevada, Jim Marchant a Trump-endorsed election denier ran against Democrat Cisco Aguilar for secretary of state. That race is also too early to call, according to NBC News.
Marchant has promised to get rid of all electronic voting machines, voting by mail and early voting. Instead, he has vowed to institute a traceable paper-ballot-only system that would rely only on hand counts. Marchant has also said he wouldnt have certified the 2020 results in the state, which Biden won.
In an interview this year, Marchant said that if he is secretary of state in 2024, he wont rule out advocating for an alternate slate of Trump electors if Trump is on the ballot and loses because of what he determines to be voter irregularities.
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Races On The Ballot In Anderson County For 2022 Election
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina
- Joe Cunningham and Tally Parham Casey, Democratic Party
- Henry McMaster and Pamela Evette, Republican Party, incumbent
- Bruce Reeves and Jessica Ethridge, Libertarian Party
Secretary of State
- Rosemounda Peggy Butler, Democratic Party
State Treasurer
- Curtis Loftis, Republican Party, incumbent
- Sarah E. Work, Alliance Party
Attorney General of South Carolina
- Alan Wilson, Republican Party, incumbent
Comptroller General
- Lisa Ellis, Democratic and Alliance parties
- Patricia M. Mickel, Green Party
- Ellen Weaver, Republican Party
Anderson County Council, District 1
- John B Wright Jr., Republican Party, incumbent
Anderson County Council, District 2
- Glenn Davis, Democratic Party, incumbent
- David Standard, Republican Party
Anderson County Council, District 3
- Greg Elgin, Republican Party
Anderson County Council, District 4
- Brett Sanders, Republican Party, incumbent
Anderson County Council, District 5
- Tommy Dunn, Republican Party, incumbent
Anderson County Council, District 6
- Jimmy Davis, Republican Party, incumbent
Anderson County Council, District 7
- M. Cindy Wilson, Republican Party, incumbent
Soil and Water District Commission
- Art. D. Garrison
Anderson School District 1 Board of Trustees, Area 5
- Wendy Burgess, incumbent
Anderson School District 1 Board of Trustees, Area 4
- Pat Cox, incumbent
Anderson School District 1 Board of Trustees, Area 1
- Melissa Ellison Hood, incumbent
Anderson School District 1 Board of Trustees, Area 7
Sen Mark Kelly Strikes Optimistic Tone Despite Slow Ballot Count In Arizona
Sen. Mark Kelly. D-Ariz., told supporters in Tucson he is feeling confident despite not knowing the outcome of his race against Republican Blake Masters.
I know its been a long night. And Ill tell you what, folks, I am feeling confident tonight, he said. Now, at the same time, it doesnt look like were going to have the final results for a little while.
He also thanked his wife, Gabby Giffords, whose congressional career was cut short in 2011 by an assassination attempt. The crowd chanted her name as Kelly called her his best friend and inspiration.
With everything life has thrown at us, we have always had each others backs, he said. Youre my best friend, the person who taught me the most about public service, and none of this would be possible without you.
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House Control Too Close To Call Nbc News Decision Desk Releases Estimate
Liz Johnstone and NBC News Decision Desk
Although NBC News cannot project control of the House, the for the House as a whole, which reflects the most probable outcome for partisan control. NBC News estimates that the Republicanswill win 219 seats, with a margin of error of 13 seats.
A party needs 218 seats to control the chamber.
To arrive at the House Estimate, the NBC News Decision Desk calculates the probability of a Democratic, Republican or third-party victory in each of the 435 House races based on pre-election research. On election night, election analysts examine all the available vote data in real time, adjusting the probabilities for each House race accordingly. Based on those probabilities, NBC News Decision Desk then calculates the most probable outcome for control of the chamber and provides a margin of error plus or minus the number of seats either party could still win.
The Decision Desk will project partisan control of the House based on this estimate when we are at a minimum 99.5% confident in the outcome.
Here Are The House Lawmakers Who Lost Their Re
While a majority of House incumbents have fended off their challengers in races called by NBC News, several lost their re-election bids. Here are the ones who won’t be returning to Capitol Hill when the new Congress is sworn in next year.
- Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, who built a national profile as a member of the House Jan. 6 committee, was defeated by GOP challenger Jen Kiggans in Virginia.
- Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski, a U.S. diplomat during the Obama administration who was first elected to Congress in 2018, was ousted by Republican Thomas Kean Jr. in New Jersey.
- Republican Rep. Mayra Flores, who won a special election this year, lost to Democrat Vicente Gonzalez in Texas.
- Democratic Rep. Al Lawson, who faced difficult odds after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fought to have his district redrawn to favor Republicans, lost his race to Republican fellow incumbent Neal Dunn.
- Longtime GOP Rep. Steve Chabot lost to Democrat Greg Landsman in Ohio.
Dozens of House races had not been called by NBC News at 2:10 a.m. ET.
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Fetterman Wins Pennsylvania Senate Race Defeating Oz And Flipping Key State For Democrats
Allan Smith and Henry J. Gomez
NEWTOWN, Pa. John Fetterman, the state lieutenant governor, has won Pennsylvanias high-voltage race for an open Senate seat, defeating celebrity TV doctor Mehmet Oz, bringing an end to one of the nastiest and most expensive campaigns of the year as both parties treated it as a potential tipping point for control of the chamber.
Fetterman will succeed Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican who opted against seeking re-election.
The race was shaped largely by two factors: Fettermans stroke days before he won the Democratic primary in May and the unrelenting barrage of outside money, including tens of millions of dollars Ozs GOP allies spent to brand Fetterman as soft on crime.
Democratic Rep Vicente Gonzalez Wins In Texas 34th District Defeating Republican Rep Mayra Flores
Democrat Vicente Gonzalez is the winner of Texas 34th Congressional District race, defeating Republican Rep. Mayra Flores.
The win is critical for Democrats who faced tougher-than-expected competition from Republicans in the traditionally Democratic and heavily Latino South Texas region.
With 85% of the votes in, Gonzalez had 52.7% and Flores had 44.2%, according to the NBC News Decision Desk.
Retirement and redistricting meant the race pitted the two sitting members of Congress against each other.
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Gop Rep Andy Biggs Mocks Nancy Pelosi And Attack On Her Husband With Hammer
At a watch party for Arizona Republicans, Rep. Andy Biggs mocked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-N.Y., and the violent attack on her husband after an assailant broke into their San Francisco home last week.
“I cant wait to get back to Washington, D.C. with some new Arizona congressmen,” Biggs said. “And were going to show Nancy Pelosi the door very shortly. Dont let it hit you on the backside, Nancy!”
Biggs continued, “Nancy is losing the gavel, but she is finding the hammer,” he said, drawing cheers. “Too soon? Is that too soon?”
The Arizona Republican is running for re-election to represent his state’s 5th Congressional District. He previously chaired the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
The suspect who broke into the Pelosi home attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. A number of prominent Republicans have mocked the assault or have spread conspiracy theories about it.
Tens Of Thousands Of Still Uncounted Ballots Could Reverse Current Republican Leads
By: Camalot Todd and – November 10, 2022 5:28 am
A woman carrying what appears to be a mailed ballot in an envelope, presumably to place in a drop box, on Election Day at the Desert Breeze Community Center in Clark County.
59,600 thats how many ballots were placed in drop boxes in Clark County on Election Day, officials announced Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, county officials said nearly 15,000 mail-in ballots had been dropped off by voters prior to Election Day, and another nearly 13,000 had been delivered by the U.S. Postal Service on Tuesday.
USPS delivered more than 12,700 ballots on Wednesday.
As Nevadas largest and bluest county, Clarks outstanding election results are the most eagerly anticipated. However, they are not the only county with uncounted ballots. Washoe County, the states other urban area, had at least 18,500 mail-in ballots in its queue for counting. Additionally, some rural counties are still processing ballots, according to media reports.
Taken together, all those uncounted ballots represent a substantial number that could potentially reverse the leads many top-of-ticket Republican candidates had at the end of counting on Election Day. For instance, after Washoe and Clark on Wednesday released results from some 35,000 newly counted ballots, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalts lead over incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto was roughly 16,000 votes.
Theres no holidays for us, he added. We will be working the holiday and the weekend.
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Election 202: Who Is On The Ballot In Central Ny Are There Propositions
Election Day in Central NY.Photo by Ellen Blalock | Syracuse Post-Standard
Voters in New York state will go to the polls on Nov. 8 to elect their representatives at the local, county, state and federal levels.
Early voting starts Oct. 29.
Some county and local races will be uncontested, and some do not have candidates on the ballot to fill vacancies.
The ballot this year includes one statewide proposal: Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 as well as county and local proposals. These will appear on the back of each ballot.
Heres a look at who is on the ballot. All races are vote for one unless otherwise stated.
Party Legend: D Democratic R – Republican I – Independence C – Conservative WF – Working Families OTH – Other NP – No Party
Links directly to the county lists
Rep Anthony Brown Makes History In Maryland
Curtis Bunn
Democrat Anthony Brown, a lawyer who has been a House member since 2017, has won his race for attorney general of Maryland, NBC News projects. He makes history by being elected as the states first Black attorney general.
Brown defeated Republican Michael Peroutka, who reportedly had ties in the past to the nationalist group the League of the South.
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Democrat Wiley Nickel Defeats Gop Candidate Bo Hines In Nc
Democrat Wiley Nickel defeated Republican candidate Bo Hines in North Carolina’s open 13th Congressional District, NBC News projects.
Wiley, 46, a state senator, and Hines, 27, a former college football player backed by former President Donald Trump, were vying to replace Republican Ted Budd in the House. Budd won his race for the Senate on Tuesday, NBC News projects he’ll replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
Wileys win flips the swing district seat to Democrats.
Republican Monica De La Cruz Flips Key South Texas House District Becoming The First Hispanic Woman To Win The Seat
McALLEN, Texas Republican Monica De La Cruz is the winner in Texas 15th Congressional District race, NBC News projects, defeating Democrat Michelle Vallejo in an open South Texas district that had once been solidly blue.
Her win means Republicans flipped a traditionally Democratic seat in the predominantly Latino Rio Grande Valley. Cruz is the first Hispanic woman elected to represent the district.
Praise God! De La Cruz said amid cheers at the Radisson Hotel McAllen, where about 200 to 300 supporters had gathered, anxiously waiting for results.
My win is not just a win for Republicans. It is a win for all South Texas, De La Cruz said.
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Nbc News Exit Poll: Whitmer Wins Michigan With Voters Concerned About Abortion Access
Maintaining access to abortion care was one of the main issues Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer featured in her re-election campaign, and it appears to have resonated with many voters, the NBC News Exit Poll found.
Forty-five percent of Michigan voters said abortion was the main issue that determined how they voted. Of those voters, 78% said they shared Whitmers position of keeping abortion legal in most cases.
Tudor Dixon, Whitmer’s Republican challenger, on the other hand, emphasized concerns about inflation and crime in her ads. While Michigan voters were more likely to say they trusted Dixon to handle crime than Whitmer , only 6% said crime was a key issue in their decisions.
Both campaigns painted the other candidate’s views as too extreme. However, voters were significantly more likely to say they were concerned only about Dixons views being too extreme than that they were concerned only about Whitmers views .
