Congressional midterm elections: the final results have not yet been determined

The fate of Joe Biden’s political ambitions for the remainder of his presidential term hangs in the balance as the country awaits the results of midterm elections that will determine which political party will control Congress for the next two years.

As of early Wednesday morning, preliminary results from some Senate campaigns were too close to draw final conclusions, and election officials warned that the results could take several days to come in.

All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats were up for a vote.

Senate seats are currently split evenly in half between Democrats and Republicans, and the deciding vote belongs to Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, so Republicans need only one additional seat to control the chamber.

Typically, parties that simultaneously control the executive and legislative branches lose seats in midterm elections.

The boundaries of many congressional districts are drawn in such a way as to give one party an unwarranted advantage, making it difficult for opposition candidates to try to oust incumbent legislators.

More than 45 million people voted early — in person or by mail. Some analysts predict that the number of people who voted will surpass the 115 million who voted in the 2018 midterm elections.

Many states are holding referendums along with elections on a variety of issues, including abortion, sports betting and marijuana.

In Maryland, voters decided to legalize cannabis, but in some other states such initiatives seem likely to fail.

The voting results in two states can already be considered historic.

Maryland elected its first black governor, Democrat Wes Moore.

In Massachusetts, the first female governor, Democrat Maura Healey, will take office, also becoming the first openly lesbian woman in the country to head the state’s executive branch.

Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, President Donald Trump’s former press secretary, was elected governor of Arkansas, as expected. Her father, Mike Huckabee, served as governor for ten years.

In one key gubernatorial race, in Florida, Ron Desantis easily won re-election.

Some Republicans are pushing Desantis to challenge Trump for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, and he hasn’t ruled out running for president.

Trump, who lives in Florida, has said he voted for Desantis for governor.

At the same time, the former president spoke disparagingly about Desantis’ possible claim to the White House. On the eve of the election, at a rally in Ohio, Trump said he would make a big announcement on Nov. 15. According to political analysts, it will be the start of his 2024 presidential campaign.

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, more than three-quarters of voters said the economic situation had the biggest impact on their voting choices.