Samuel Corum | Getty Images The margin between Democrats and Republicans who will win House seats will continue to narrow as local districts continue to count votes from Tuesday’s midterm elections, NBC News predicts. Republicans are expected to pick up nine new seats, giving them 222 seats and Democrats 213, according to NBC News. However, these totals are yet to be confirmed as states continue to count votes. — Chelsea Cox

Kentucky rejects anti-abortion constitutional amendment in surprise victory for reproductive rights

Counter-protesters hold signs in front of a rally encouraging voters to vote yes on Amendment 2, which would add a permanent ban on abortion to the Kentucky state constitution, on the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, on October 1 2022.
Stephanie Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images Voters in Kentucky have rejected a constitutional amendment that would have effectively shielded the state’s abortion ban from legal challenge, NBC News projects. About 52 percent of those who voted rejected an amendment that said there is no right to an abortion under the state constitution. Kentucky banned abortions immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June through a so-called enabling law passed by the legislature. The amendment that went before voters on Tuesday was an attempt by anti-abortion activists to protect the ban from legal challenges in state court. The ballot’s failure shows there are limits to anti-abortion policy even in conservative states. Kentucky has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1996. — Spencer Kimball

Stocks fall with control of Congress still undecided

Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, United States, on November 2, 2022. Michael Nagle | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Stocks were broadly lower on Wednesday as investors eyed key political races that remain undecided. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 320 points, or nearly 1%. The S&P 500 fell about 0.9%. Wall Street expected Republican gains in the midterms to lead to a divided government. Many investors see a split in Washington, D.C., as beneficial for stocks because that situation limits potential regulatory or tax changes. The major market averages have risen for three straight days, so Wednesday’s declines could be due in part to uncertainty about Congress leading traders to hedge their bets. To be sure, there are also non-political factors weighing on stocks. Disney’s 12% drop after an earnings miss is particularly damaging for the Dow. — Jesse Pound

Biden will speak from the White House at 4pm about the midterm elections

US President Joe Biden reacts during a rally with Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore, US Senator Chris Van Hollen and other Maryland Democrats at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, US, 7 November 2022. Leah Millis | Reuters President Joe Biden plans to discuss the midterm results at the White House at 4 p.m. ET today in what will likely be a narrow win for Democrats, who held far more House and Senate seats than expected. “Democracy does not happen by accident. We must defend it, strengthen it and renew it,” Biden tweeted after the program change. “I’ll have more to say this afternoon, but thanks to the workers and officials who worked late into the night to protect our sacred right to vote. And the millions who made their voices heard.” Biden will speak from the state dining room and take questions after his remarks. — Emma Kinery

The central Georgia Senate race between Warnock and Walker has gone to a runoff

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, Democratic senator for Georgia (L), and Georgia Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker. Reuters Georgia’s hotly contested Senate race will go to a runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican former NFL player Herschel Walker, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said. Since neither candidate will garner the 50 percent of the vote needed to win the seat outright under state rules, he said the two Senate candidates will head to a Dec. 6 runoff. “Right now we have less than 20,000 total votes left to count. That’s not enough to change the race. So it’s a runoff,” Raffensperger said on “The Brian Kilmeade Show.” The Georgia race, one of the most competitive in the nation, could help determine control of the Senate, along with the remaining races in Arizona and Nevada. Republicans need to win two of those contests, against Democratic incumbents, to win a majority in the Senate. The presence of Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, a 37-year-old businessman from Atlanta, helped deprive Warnock and Walker of the majority they needed to win outright. With 96 percent of the vote counted Wednesday morning, Warnock had won 49.2 percent of the vote to Walker’s 48.7 percent, according to NBC News. Oliver got about 2.1% of the vote. —Christina Wilkie

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was projected to win Wisconsin over Mandela Barnes

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) thanks supporters before leaving the grounds of his campaign party as he awaits the results of the US midterm elections in Neenah, Wisconsin, on November 9, 2022. Daniel Steinle | Reuters Incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is projected by NBC News to defeat Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes. Johnson had 50.5% of the vote, while Barnes, the state’s lieutenant governor, had 49.3%, with 94% of the vote counted. Three other states have yet to determine the winners of the US Senate elections: Arizona, Georgia and Nevada. In all three of these races, Democrats are present. Republicans need to win two of the open seats to gain majority control of the Senate in 2023. The open Pennsylvania Senate seat, currently held by a Republican, was won by a Democrat. GOP candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz conceded defeat to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman earlier Wednesday morning. Before Johnson’s victory was broadcast, he said in a statement that he had won the race. “Truth has prevailed over lies and the politics of personal destruction,” Johnson said. “I want to thank my family and everyone who supported me and worked so hard to save this US Senate seat,” he said. “I will do everything I can to help make things better for Wisconsinites and to heal and unite our country.” —Dan Manganese

This is where the results of Senate elections in key states could be decided

Americans vote at the Tenney Park polling place on November 8, 2022 in Madison, Wisconsin. Jim Vodruska | Getty Images Control of the U.S. Senate in 2023 could take days, perhaps weeks, to resolve as votes are still being counted in three states. Because Democrat John Fetterman flipped the GOP-held Pennsylvania Senate seat, Republicans must win two of the Democratic-held races in Arizona, Georgia or Nevada to win control of the Senate. Democrats must win two of those three races to retain their majority. Georgia could be headed for a runoff election on December 6 if no Senate candidate gets 50% of the vote in the coming days. With 96% of the vote counted in Georgia as of this morning, incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock had 49.2% of the vote, with Republican challenger Herschel Walker holding 48.7%. Liberal candidate Chase Oliver had 2.1% of the vote. In Arizona, a much smaller percentage of the vote was cast, meaning it could take several more days to decide the race between Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, and his Republican challenger, Blake Masters. Kelly had 51.9% of the vote and Masters 45.9%. But just 67 percent of ballots had been cast in Arizona, where many voters cast ballots early before Election Day. Ballots submitted to polling stations on Tuesday will take days to be verified and their signatures counted. In Nevada, Republican challenger Adam Laxalt had 49.9% of the vote, compared to 47.2% of the vote held by Sen. Kathryn Cortez Masto, the incumbent Democrat. But just 80% of the vote in the state was in. And because most of the ballots will be mail-in ballots, which have four days to arrive if sealed by Election Day, it could take several days, if not more, to get a final result. —Dan Manganese

Dr. Oz Concedes Pennsylvania Senate Race To John Fetterman

Pennsylvania Republican US Senate candidate Mehmet Oz with his wife and family attend the 2022 US Midterm Election Night Party in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, November 8, 2022. Hannah Beier | Reuters Dr. Mehmet Oz called John Fetterman to admit he had lost the US Senate election in Pennsylvania and later issued a statement urging “everyone to put down their partisan swords and focus on getting the job done.” The call from the Oz Republican came hours after NBC projected Fetterman, the Democratic lieutenant governor, as the winner in the Keystone State. With 94% of the vote in, Fetterman had 50.3% of the vote, while Oz had 47.2%. Fetterman’s victory was significant for Democrats — who are fighting to hold on to their slim Senate majority — because the seat is currently held by Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican. In his statement, Oz said: “I called John Fetterman this morning and congratulated him. I wish him and his family the best, both personally and as our next United States Senator. The campaign across the great Our Commonwealth was the honor of a lifetime. And I will cherish the memories and the people I met.” “We’re facing big problems as a country and we need everyone to put down their partisan swords and focus on getting the job done,” Oz said. “With bold leadership that brings people together, we can create real change. As a doctor, I always do what I can to help others heal. That’s why I ran for…