Americans await election results

Candidates have made their closing arguments as Americans head to the polls in one of the most-watched midterm elections in years. Pollsters predict Republicans will retain control of the Senate and possibly gain a seat. But the University of Virginia Center for Politics forecasts a 30-plus seat gain for Democrats in the House of Representatives, where they only need 23 seats to win back the majority.

Thirty-six states hold gubernatorial elections today, with some of the closest-watched races in the South. In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams, a former state representative, hopes to defeat Republican Brian Kemp, Georgia’s secretary of state, to become the country’s first female African-American governor. And in Florida, former Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis faces Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. Accusations of racism and corruption, along with last week’s shooting at a Tallahassee yoga studio and the devastation of Hurricane Michael, made that campaign one of the nation’s most turbulent.

During a phone call with supporters Monday night, President Donald Trump acknowledged the election serves as a test of American satisfaction with his administration so far. “Even though I’m not on the ballot, in a certain way I am on the ballot,” the president said. “The press is very much considering it a referendum on me and us as a movement.”

Follow election night results at WORLD’s Election Center ’18, where an interactive map will provide real-time election returns from across the country.