Key midterm races left outstanding

Ryan King

November 11, 09:40 AM November 11, 09:44 AM

As the dust begins to settle from the midterm election mayhem, dozens of races remain unresolved, leaving lingering questions about how the balance of power will shake out in Washington, D.C.

Democrats managed to snuff out a prophesied red wave, but Republicans remain within striking distance of capturing the House, while the fate of the Senate is up in the air. Dozens of House races, three Senate races, and four governor's races are outstanding, with most of the stragglers hailing from Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oregon.

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Here is a breakdown of the top unfinished midterm election races:

Alaska House at-large district

A traditionally Republican-held seat that was vacated by the death of Rep. Don Young earlier this year, Alaska's at-large district was captured by Democrat Mary Peltola in an upset victory over former Gov. Sarah Palin earlier this year. Both Peltola and Palin clashed in a rematch for the midterm cycle, but the outcome remains unclear.

Under Alaska's election system, the top four contenders face off in a ranked choice voting contest if no candidate reaches 50% of the vote. With about 80% of the vote in, Peltola is in the lead with about 47.2% of the vote. Palin is trailing at 26.6%. Republican Nick Begich has 24.2%.

Arizona Governor

In one of the hottest midterm races of the country, Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Katie Hobbs have battled it out for Grand Canyon State governor. About 82% of the vote has been tallied, and Lake is trailing Hobbs 49.3% to 50.7%. The election is another test of the traditionally red-leaning state's apparent shift to purple.

Arizona Senate

Seemingly on the precipice of being called, incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) currently touts a 51.7% to 46.1% lead over populist Republican challenger Blake Masters. So far, 82% of the vote has been counted, resulting in reluctance at election desks to call the race that could determine the balance of power in the upper chamber.

Arizona's 1st Congressional District

Republicans had been widely expected to pick up toss-up seats this cycle without ceding GOP-friendly terrain, but they are at risk of doing so in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. Democrat Jevin Hodge has a razor-thin lead over Republican foe David Schweikert with 50.8% to 49.2%, with about a quarter of the votes outstanding.

California's 47th Congressional District

Late in the midterm game, Republicans suddenly became bullish about picking off liberal star Rep. Katie Porter. With just shy of two-thirds of the votes counted, Porter has a slim lead over Republican rival Scott Baugh, with 50.8% to 49.2%.

Colorado's 3rd Congressional District

Stupefying some political observers, conservative firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert is in serious danger of losing her reelection bid to Democrat Adam Frisch in what could be a major upset in a GOP-friendly district. As of Friday morning, Boebert is leading 50.17% to 49.83%.

On Thursday morning, however, she was effectively dead even with Frisch, trailing by a scant 64 votes with 95% of the vote in before pulling ahead with just under a 400-vote lead later in the day, later growing to a 1,122-vote lead. Under Colorado law, races with a final margin of 0.5% or less head to a recount.

Georgia Senate

It's deja vu in the Peach State. Drawing parallels with the 2020 election, the fate of the Senate could rest on the runoff race in Georgia. Neither Republican Herschel Walker nor incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock garnered enough votes to claim a majority outright. Warnock ran ahead of Walker in the race and won the prior runoff.

Nevada House trio

Democrats in Nevada seemingly gambled on an ambitious redistricting strategy that effectively rendered three of the state's Democratic-held congressional districts competitive. Although Republican Mark Amodei won in the GOP-friendly 2nd Congressional District, the bet appears to have paid off with Democrats holding the narrow edge in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th congressional districts. Between 92% and 94% of the votes in those races have been counted.

Nevada Senate

After suffering a loss in Pennsylvania, Republican hopes of reclaiming the Senate turned to the Silver State race. Republican Adam Laxalt is leading incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto 48.97% to 48%, with about 90% of the votes in, marking a tightening of the race from Thursday morning.

Oregon Governor

Republicans had been keen about breaking the blue dam in the Beaver State this cycle and dedicated considerable firepower to boosting Republican Christine Drazan in her quest to succeed an unpopular outgoing governor. A three-way race that involved Democrat Tina Kotek and independent Betsy Johnson seemingly left an opening. Eventually, the called the race and projected Kotek the winner.

Republicans score big win in race for crucial Senate seat after Libertarian candidate drops out

Asher Notheis

November 01, 08:32 AM November 01, 08:44 AM

Libertarian candidate Marc Victor has dropped out of the Arizona Senate race, giving Republicans a major boost as they try to secure a majority in the upper house of Congress.

In withdrawing from the race, Victor has endorsed Republican candidate Blake Masters, who is running against incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Victor dropping out of the race comes a week before the election between the two, which is still very tight with only days left for the two to reach out to voters, according to a statement from Masters's campaign.

“I found Blake to be generally supportive of the Live and Let Live Global Peace Movement,” Victor said in a statement on Tuesday. "Likewise, we found ourselves in general agreement about how to improve America and advance the cause of freedom and peace. After that discussion, I believe it is in the best interests of freedom and peace to withdraw my candidacy and enthusiastically support Blake Masters for United States Senate. I intend to assist in any way reasonably possible to elect Blake."

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Victor and Masters spoke to each other on Monday in a 20-minute recorded conversation, which the Libertarian candidate had made a precondition to quitting. Victor is expected to publish the conversation for the public to listen to themselves, a person familiar with the conversation told the New York Times.

Masters was appreciative of Victor's endorsement, stating that it was "another major boost of momentum as we consolidate our support against the extreme and radical policies of Mark Kelly and Joe Biden. Live and Let Live."

Masters, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has attempted to gain the support of Libertarian voters. On Thursday, the Senate candidate posted a 2010 photo of himself with former Rep. Ron Paul, thanking the famous Libertarian candidate for his endorsement.

A New York Times-Siena College poll released Monday stated that Kelly holds a 6 percentage point lead over Masters, with Kelly at 51% and Masters at 45%. The poll, conducted from Oct. 24 through Oct. 28, surveyed a total of 604 likely Arizona voters and had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

To gain control of the Senate, the Republican Party needs to have a net gain of at least one Senate seat. The Senate race between Republicans and Democrats is currently in a dead heat as of Tuesday, with both parties winning 50 out of 100 simulated outcomes, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Kari Lake tries to turn kingmaker by backing Blake Masters, other GOP hopefuls in Arizona

Samantha-Jo Roth

October 29, 10:16 AM October 29, 10:16 AM

MESA, ARIZONA — Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake utilized her name recognition to boost other Republicans on the ticket at a Halloween-themed campaign event on Friday night.

Lake, dressed as Rosie the Riveter, spoke for under four minutes before handing off the microphone to Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters. The family-friendly event was advertised on Lake’s website for about a week, but Masters and Abraham Hamadeh, the Arizona GOP candidate for attorney general, were added late Thursday night.

For several months, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) held a lead in the Senate race, but now the race is tightening. The Cook Political Report changed its rating on the Arizona Senate race from “Lean Democrat” to “Toss Up.”

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Despite Masters's recent rise in the polls, he is garnering less support than Lake. According to a recent Fox 10 InsiderAdvantage poll, Lake leads Hobbs by 11 percentage points in the gubernatorial race.

Lake and Masters have been hitting the trail together recently and promoting one another on social media. As Masters gave his stump speech on Friday night, Lake’s official Twitter account live-tweeted his remarks with video. Masters is garnering less support than Lake, with polls showing he is in a competitive race against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.

Masters has not held any other open press events this week. A campaign aide said this is part of his strategy in the final days ahead of the election. In his stump speech Friday, Masters made immigration and the border a centerpiece of his message.

“One of the first executive orders President Biden signed halted the border wall. That’s when I knew it was about to be really, really bad. They gave our southern border up to the Mexican drug cartels,” Masters said to the crowd.

“This is a humanitarian disaster. I don't blame or begrudge any individual immigrant for wanting to come here fleeing some desperate situation, right. It's nothing personal, but you don't get to break into our country. And with the cartels. This is key. This is slavery. This is human trafficking.”

Inflation soared to 13% in Phoenix last month, a record for any U.S. city in data going back 20 years, a fact Masters highlighted.

“Here in Maricopa County, we’re suffering from the worst inflation in the whole country, brought to you by Mark Kelly. Mark Kelly denies responsibility," he said.

The Senate is split 50-50, but Democrats have the majority through Vice President Kamala Harris's tiebreaking vote. Republicans only need one seat in order to take back the majority.

Lake also recently released video advertisements in support of gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania and Michigan's Tudor Dixon, a rare endorsement for a candidate in the middle of a competitive race.