Historic firsts shaped the Senate reshuffle, as Annie Andrews became South Carolina's first elected female senator and Abdul El-Sayed won in Michigan as the nation's first Muslim senator. James Talarico achieved another major victory by defeating Republican Ken Paxton to claim a Senate seat in Texas. Meanwhile, prominent conservatives suffered high-profile setbacks, including Vivek Ramaswamy losing the Ohio gubernatorial race to Democrat Amy Acton after facing backlash over an attack ad.
Key points
Billionaire Elon Musk faces potential congressional subpoenas and investigations into his…: Billionaire Elon Musk faces potential congressional subpoenas and investigations into his federal contracts after spending over $400 million on defeated candidates.
Democratic flips across several states allow Chuck Schumer to reclaim the role of Senate…: Democratic flips across several states allow Chuck Schumer to reclaim the role of Senate majority leader.
Internal party fractures emerged in Michigan as Congresswoman Haley Stevens triggered sta…: Internal party fractures emerged in Michigan as Congresswoman Haley Stevens triggered staff resignations after endorsing a Republican candidate against El-Sayed.
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Historic firsts, surprise victories and expensive defeats as Democrats take control of Congress.
Democrats had a big night in Tuesday’s United States midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress and pulling off some surprising victories in longtime Republican strongholds.
From turning Texas blue to electing the country’s first Muslim senator, there were plenty of historic wins. But the night also brought some major setbacks for US President Donald Trump and his allies, including one who spent hundreds of millions of dollars backing losing candidates.
Here’s a look at some of the election’s biggest winners and losers.
The winners
Annie Andrews: In one of the most surprising wins of the night, Democrat Annie Andrews flipped a Republican-held Senate seat in a deeply conservative South Carolina, beating out the Trump-backed candidate Darline Graham.
A paediatrician who campaigned on healthcare and affordability, Andrews became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1998, and its first elected female senator. The victory was a major breakthrough for Democrats and helped them take control of the Senate.
Autumn deluges across Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico washed out transit corridors, damaged infrastructure, and displaced thousands of residents. Determined to make their voices heard despite the extensive property destruction, community members relied on heavy farm machinery and volunteer transit to access polling stations. The collective push to the polls transformed election day into a vital show of regional solidarity.
Following major electoral setbacks for his Likud party, the Israeli prime minister is seeking an urgent security inquiry into alleged external funding efforts. The claims emerge at a sensitive moment as the head of state conducts official talks to broker the next administration. Netanyahu is leveraging these interference allegations to rally support for a broad Zionist coalition while challenging rival attempts to build a government.
Commercial trade documentation reveals that settlement-based agricultural businesses routinely misidentify their goods under Israeli export mandates, sidestepping Australia's formal recognition of Palestinian sovereignty over the region. Human rights advocates caution that the absence of dedicated consumer labelling legislation enables domestic shoppers to inadvertently finance settlements situated on displaced territory. While several European allies have instituted formal trade restrictions, Canberra has decline…