The latest on the midterm elections.
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Trump Alleges Voter Fraud in Arizona Senate Race, Demands Do-Over
Former President Donald Trump has alleged voter fraud in Arizona’s Senate race and demanded a do-over after The Associated Press and other media outlets called the race against his endorsed candidate, Republican Blake Masters, while handing incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) a projected win.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that “possibly corrupt” officials had “lost control of the tainted Election in Arizona” after the race was called for Kelly.
“This is a scam and voter fraud, no different than stuffing the ballot boxes. They stole the Electron [sic] from Blake Masters. Do Election over again!” Trump wrote on the platform.
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Republicans Need Just 7 Seats to Clinch House Majority With 27 Races Still Uncalled
Republicans need to pick up just seven seats of the 27 competitive races that remain uncalled to reverse Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the House, with just a handful of tossups standing in the way of the lower chamber flipping red.
Key contests in Alaska, California, Colorado, and Maine are all that stand in the way of the lower chamber flipping red.
As states continue to count outstanding votes from the midterm election and Americans still don’t know the final balance of power in Washington, Republicans hold a lead of 211 House seats against Democrats’ 201, according to data from The Associated Press.
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Mark Finchem Projected to Lose Arizona Secretary of State Race
Democrat Adrian Fontes was projected Friday night to win the race for Arizona secretary of state against state Rep. Mark Finchem, a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Fontes, who formerly oversaw parts of the election system in Maricopa, the state’s most populous county, said in a statement on Twitter late on Friday that he’s “honored” to serve the top position and will focus on reigniting “the flame of unity in our Republic.”
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Trump-Backed Vegas Sheriff Tops Democrat for Nevada Governor
Republican Joe Lombardo, a career police officer-turned-elected sheriff in Las Vegas who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has been elected governor in Nevada.
“I’ve dedicated my life to protecting and serving our community, and now, I’m honored to have the opportunity to protect and serve our entire state as your next governor,” Lombardo said in a statement issued shortly after Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak conceded the race.
“It appears we will fall a percentage point or so short of winning,” Sisolak said in comments following a batch of vote results reported in Clark County. “That is why I reached out to the sheriff to wish him success.”
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Cortez Masto Narrows in on Laxalt in Nevada Senate Race
With control of the U.S. Senate on the line, Nevada’s protracted ballot count ground through a fourth day Friday as election officials tallied thousands of votes ahead of a Saturday deadline to accept late-arriving mail-ins.
Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was running barely behind Republican Adam Laxalt, but with the remaining tens of thousands of uncounted ballots mainly coming from the state’s urban cores, her campaign expressed optimism she could overtake her challenger. Laxalt, meanwhile, has steadily predicted he’ll stay in the lead as the count drags on.
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Congresswoman Ahead of Developer in Seesaw LA Mayor’s Race
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass established a fragile lead Friday over developer Rick Caruso in their back-and-forth contest to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, with many ballots uncounted and the outcome not expected until at least next week.
Returns released by the Los Angeles County Clerk’s Office showed Bass with a 4,384-vote advantage over the billionaire Caruso—or 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent. Earlier, Caruso held a slim lead over the congresswoman.
Nearly 40 percent of the ballots remained uncounted.
Bass, a progressive Democratic congresswoman, could become the first black woman to hold the job. Caruso, a Republican-turned-Democrat known for building high-end malls, would represent a turn to the political right for the liberal city of nearly 4 million and is promising to expand the police department.
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Unsettled California Races Could Tip US House Control
The outcome in a string of closely matched California U.S. House races that could play into control of the chamber remained unsettled Friday, as millions of ballots remained uncounted in the nation’s most populous state.
More than a dozen races in the state remained in play, though only a handful were seen as tight enough to go either way. It takes 218 seats to control the House. Republicans had locked down 211 for far, with Democrats claiming 200.
It could take days, or even weeks, to determine who gets the gavel next year.
Should Democrats fail to protect their slim majority, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield would be in line to replace Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.
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Lorenz Duchamps, Tom Ozimek, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
