Democrat Roy Cooper flips North Carolina Senate seat in US midterms

Cooper wins the North Carolina seat

Democrats have taken their first Senate seat in the US midterm elections, with media projections giving Roy Cooper the win in North Carolina. It is the first Senate victory for the Democrats in that state since 2008, and it moves a seat held by Republicans into Democratic hands.

Cooper, a 69-year-old former governor, beat Michael Whatley, a former Republican state party chair who was backed by Donald Trump. The Associated Press projected the result based on exit polls and vote counts. Whatley is seen as a close Trump ally and backed Trump's claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen through massive fraud, a claim that has been widely disproven.

Cooper replaces Republican senator Thom Tillis, who had announced he would not seek re-election after a falling-out with Trump. Tillis had become a vocal critic of the president. Cooper campaigned on concerns about high living costs and on his long record in state politics.

Where the Senate and House stand

Before the vote Republicans held 53 Senate seats and Democrats 45, with two independents who sit with the Democratic caucus. Of the 100 seats, 35 were up for election, and 36 states also held gubernatorial races.

Republicans53

Democrats45

Independents (sit with Democrats)2

Republicans

53 seats

Democrats

45 seats

Independents (sit with Democrats)

2 seats

Data from the article text

The sources differ on the arithmetic of a Senate majority. Deutsche Welle says Democrats must win at least four Senate seats from Republicans to take control, and that after North Carolina they stand at 43 seats and need three more Republican seats without losing any of their own. Another report puts the net gain needed at four seats.

All 435 House seats are up as well. Republicans hold 218, Democrats 214, one seat is held by an independent and two seats are vacant. Deutsche Welle reports that Democrats need at least three Republican-held House seats to take control, and polls cited by ORF suggest they could win a clear majority.

Republicans218

Democrats214

Independent1

Vacant2

Republicans

218 seats

Democrats

214 seats

Independent

1 seats

Vacant

2 seats

Data from the article text

Other early results

Incumbent Democratic senators also kept their seats in several other states in early returns. Mark Warner held Virginia against Republican Bert Mizusawa. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff won against Trump-backed Mike Collins, according to NBC and CBS projections reported by Deutsche Welle. Both incumbents retained their seats in the Senate.

Trump and the mood of voters

The midterms are widely seen as a gauge of how Americans judge Trump's performance, and polls cited by ORF put his approval at 32 to 36 percent. Many voters are unhappy about the Iran war, which has sharply driven up fuel costs over the past six months, on top of general inflation and high living costs. An AP poll cited by Deutsche Welle found that many Americans worry most about high living costs and corruption, and that a majority is dissatisfied with the country's direction. A survey mentioned in a live ticker found that half of voters see the election as a rebuke to Trump.

If Republicans lost their majority in one or both chambers, Trump would become a lame duck, Democrats could block much of his agenda, and they could open a third impeachment proceeding against him, according to ORF.

Counting and open questions

A live ticker reports technical problems at polling stations in several states, and a voting machine fault delayed the count in a New York district. Polls in Hawaii and much of Alaska stay open until 06:00 MEZ. When Deutsche Welle reported, polling stations had closed in eleven states. The final majorities in Congress remain unclear, and close results could take several days to count.