2 years ago / 2:17 AM EST

Former WH chief of staff says Trump is having a bad election night

“Between being Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis tonight, you want to be Ron DeSantis,” former President Donald Trump’s onetime acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, said early Wednesday on CBS, noting that numerous Trump-backed candidates, including Doug Mastriano and Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, have underperformed or lost in the 2022 races.

“DeSantis wins tonight, and Trump is not doing very well,” Mulvaney said. Trump has been teasing a potential 2024 presidential announcement in recent days.

2 years ago / 2:14 AM EST

Barnes campaign says Wisconsin Senate race too close to call tonight

The campaign of Wisconsin Senate candidate Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, said that the race is too close to call and that it doesn’t expect a result Tuesday night.

“We always knew this race would be incredibly close,” Maddy McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Barnes campaign, said in a statement. “No matter what anyone says, we are committed to making sure every vote is counted. We will wait and see what the Wisconsin voters have decided after all their voices are heard.”

At the time of the statement, Barnes trailed Republican Sen. Ron Johnson by less than a percentage point with 93% of the vote in. NBC News has not called the race.

2 years ago / 2:10 AM EST

Here are the House lawmakers who lost their re-election bids tonight

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.

2 years ago / 2:07 AM EST

Pelosi says Democrats are ‘strongly outperforming expectations’

As the returns continued to come in late Tuesday and early Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued a statement saying: “While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic Members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations across the country.

“As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast,” she continued. “Many thanks to our grassroots volunteers for enabling every voter to have their say in our Democracy.”

2 years ago / 2:06 AM EST

In remarks to supporters, Warnock braces them for a Senate runoff

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., re-emerged before a crowd of his supporters early Wednesday and indicated he believes a runoff is possible in his contest against Republican Herschel Walker.

“We know that when they’re finished counting the votes for today’s election, we’re going to have received more votes than my opponent. We know that,” Warnock said.

NBC News considers the race too close to call. If neither candidate tops 50%, the race moves to a runoff.

“At this late hour, you may be a little tired,” Warnock said.

A woman in the crowd yelled in response: “Fired up, ready to go!”

Warnock continued, “Whether it’s later tonight or tomorrow or four weeks from now, we will hear from the people of Georgia.”

2 years ago / 2:05 AM EST

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-Calif., and the violent attack on her husband after an assailant broke into their San Francisco home last week.

"I can’t wait to get back to Washington, D.C. with some new Arizona congressmen," Biggs said. "And we’re going to show Nancy Pelosi the door very shortly. Don’t 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.

2 years ago / 1:56 AM EST

South Dakota votes against legalizing marijuana

South Dakota voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana use for adults, NBC News projects.

The measure would have legalized the use, possession, and distribution of marijuana by adults 21 and older.

Maryland and Missouri voted to legalize recreational marijuana while North Dakota and Arkansas rejected legalization efforts.

2 years ago / 1:56 AM EST

Missouri votes to legalize recreational marijuana

Missouri has passed a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana, NBC News Projects.

The measure removes existing state prohibitions on marijuana and legalizes the purchase, possession, consumption, use, delivery, manufacture, and sale of marijuana for personal use for anyone 21 and older. It also allows individuals with certain marijuana-related offenses to be released from prison, parole, or probation and have their records expunged. 

Maryland voted to legalize recreational marijuana while North Dakota, South Dakota and Arkansas rejected legalization efforts.

2 years ago / 1:46 AM EST

NBC News Exit Poll: Midterms voters are whiter, wealthier and older than in presidential election

Patrick J. Egan, NBC News Exit Poll Desk

Midterms voters in 2022 were less representative of the U.S. population along the lines of race, income and age than the electorate in 2020 was, the NBC News Exit Poll found. The pattern is similar to the historical patterns of midterm elections, when voter turnout is typically lower and less diverse than in presidential contests.

White voters made up 73% of the midterm electorate, 6 percentage points higher than in the 2020 presidential election. Voters with household incomes of $100,000 or more were 37% of the electorate in 2022, compared to just 26% in 2020. Americans ages 65 and over were 28% of voters 2022, or 6 points higher than in 2020.

2 years ago / 1:40 AM EST

NBC News Exit Poll: Gender gap in the Latino vote is driven by different priorities

Mara Ostfeld, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk
Mara Ostfeld, NBC News Exit Poll Desk and Hannah Hartig, NBC News Exit Poll Desk

Overall, 60% of Latino voters cast ballots for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections, while 39% voted for Republican candidates, the NBC News Exit Poll found. But there was a 13 percentage point gender gap in Democratic support: 66% of Latina women voted for Democratic candidates, compared with 53% of Latino men.

Those two groups of voters are motivated by a distinct set of issues, the poll found.

One-third of Latina women voting in this year’s elections said abortion was the most important issue shaping their votes, whereas only 20% of Latino men said the same. In addition, Latina women were almost twice as likely as Latino men to list immigration as the most important issue shaping their votes.

Crime and inflation, on the other hand, were much larger factors in how Latino men voted.