Vote counting continues in the United States following the midterm elections, which will determine the composition of both chambers of Congress, as well as the governors of several states.
Although vote counting is still underway, US television networks have projected that Democrats have secured majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, results that will reshape the balance of power in Washington.
The first polls closed at 1:00 a.m. Israel time Wednesday (6:00 p.m. EST Tuesday) in parts of Kentucky and Indiana. Throughout the night, polls gradually closed in additional states until voting concluded in all 50 states.
Live updates (all times listed are Israel time):
7:00 a.m.: Polls have closed in Alaska and Hawaii.
6:55 a.m.: Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, considered one of Israel's most prominent supporters in the US Congress, lost his reelection bid in New York to Democratic candidate Cait Conley.
Lawler conceded defeat after the results of the race became clear.
6:46 a.m.: Melat Kiros, 29, has been elected to the US House of Representatives from Colorado. Kiros, known for her strongly anti-Israel positions, previously claimed that the October 7 terrorist attack was "the inevitable result of Israel's apartheid policies." She also argued that calls for Israel's destruction are not antisemitic and demanded an immediate arms embargo on Israel.
Several other newly elected members of the House are known for their outspoken criticism of Israel: Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, and Brad Lander of New York; Donavan McKinney of Michigan; Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania; and Adam Hamawy of New Jersey. Their victories were consistent with pre-election projections.
6:33 a.m.: US television networks are projecting a majority for the Democrats in the Senate.
6:30 a.m.: Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton is projected to win the US Senate race in Kansas, according to CNN.
If the projection holds, Hamilton will become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Kansas in 94 years.
6:24 a.m.: New York Governor Kathy Hochul has won reelection, defeating Jewish Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman, who was endorsed by US President Donald Trump.
6:17 a.m.: President Trump said that he would accept the results of the midterm elections and was prepared to work with Democrats.
“I am absolutely willing to accept those results," he said in an interview with The New York Times.
6:11 a.m.: Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa has won the Texas gubernatorial election, defeating incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
6:08 a.m.: Democratic candidate James Talarico has won the US Senate race in Texas, defeating his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.
Talarico's victory marks a political upset in a state long considered a conservative stronghold of the Republican Party.
6:06 a.m.: Democratic candidate Amy Acton has won Ohio's gubernatorial election, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who received unusually strong support from President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
The Ohio governor's race was considered one of the most heated and closely contested battles of the midterm elections.
6:00 a.m.: Polls have closed in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
5:44 a.m.: US President Donald Trump commented on the results of the midterm elections in a brief post on his Truth Social platform.
"I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" wrote Trump.
5:30 a.m.: According to an NBC News projection, the Democratic Party is expected to win 244 seats in the US House of Representatives, compared to 191 seats for the Republican Party.
If the projection holds, Democrats will have 26 seats more than the 218 needed to secure a majority in the House. These figures are projections, not final election results.
5:24 a.m.: Democratic candidate Annie Andrews has won the US Senate race in South Carolina, defeating Republican Senator Darlene Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The victory marks the Democratic Party's first win in a Senate race in the state in years.
5:12 a.m.: CBS News is projecting that the Democrats will gain control of the House of Representatives.
5:05 a.m.:The New York Times is predicting that the Democratic Party will gain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
According to the forecast, Democrats have a 95% chance of securing a majority in both chambers.
5:01 a.m.: Polls have closed in Montana, Nevada and Utah.
4:36 a.m.: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms has been elected governor of Georgia, according to projections by US media outlets. Bottoms will become the first Black woman in US history to be elected governor of a state.
Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta and senior official in the Biden administration, defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump and spent more than $100 million of his own money on the campaign.
4:25 a.m.: Republican Congressman Byron Donalds has won Florida's gubernatorial election and is expected to succeed Ron DeSantis, according to a projection by CNN.
Donalds is set to make history as Florida's first Black governor, with his victory ensuring continued Republican control of the governor's office.
4:02 a.m.: Polls in the following states are closing at this hour: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
4:00 a.m.: Sources close to US President Donald Trump said he was preparing for the possibility that the midterm election results could be "very bad" for his party, NBC News reported.
3:46 a.m.: Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has won the US Senate race, delivering a victory for the Democratic Party in the battle for control of the upper chamber of Congress.
Cooper's victory flipped a Senate seat previously held by the Republican Party to the Democrats.
3:35 a.m.: Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas has won the US Senate race in New Hampshire, defeating former Republican Senator John Sununu.
3:32 a.m.: US Representative Jared Moskowitz, a moderate Democrat and one of the most prominent Jewish members of Congress in the Democratic Party, has won reelection in a South Florida congressional district.
The district in which Moskowitz ran was redrawn during the election campaign in a manner intended to give the Republican Party an advantage.
3:22 a.m.: Democrats currently hold 42 seats in the Senate, compared to 32 seats for Republicans.
3:18 a.m.: Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker has won a third term in office. Pritzker is considered a potential candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in the 2028 US election.
3:00 a.m.: Polls are closing in the following states: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee.
2:40 a.m. - Incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who is Jewish and aligned with the party's progressive wing, won reelection to the Senate after defeating Republican Congressman Mike Collins, according to Decision Desk HQ.
2:28 a.m.: Democratic Senator Mark Warner wins a fourth term representing Virginia in the US Senate, defeating Republican Bert Mizusawa.
2:00 a.m.: Final polls are now closing in these states: Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Indiana.
At the center of the elections is control of the two chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Both bodies are responsible for passing legislation, approving budgets, and overseeing the executive branch, but they differ in their composition, members' terms of office, and powers.
The House of Representatives consists of 435 voting members elected from congressional districts across the country. The number of representatives allocated to each state is determined by its population. As a result, populous states such as California have dozens of representatives, while smaller states have only one.
Members of the House serve two-year terms, meaning all 435 seats are contested in every congressional election. A party that wins at least 218 seats holds a majority in the chamber when all seats are filled.
The Senate, by contrast, has 100 members, with two senators representing each of the 50 states regardless of population. Senators serve six-year terms, with approximately one-third of the seats up for election every two years to ensure continuity in the chamber's work.
In the current elections, 35 Senate seats are being contested, including 33 in the regular election cycle and two additional seats in special elections in Florida and Ohio.
Alongside the congressional elections, Americans are also voting in gubernatorial races, state legislative elections, and contests for other public offices. Some states are also holding ballot initiatives on legislative and public policy issues.
The battle for control of the House of Representatives is particularly close, given the Republicans' narrow majority. A relatively small number of seats changing hands could be enough to give Democrats control of the chamber.
In the Senate, Republicans enter the elections in a stronger position. Ahead of the vote, the party holds 53 seats, compared to 45 held by Democrats and two independents who caucus with them.
To secure a 51-seat majority in the Senate, Democrats need a net gain of four seats. With only 35 of the chamber's 100 seats being contested, the outcomes of closely fought races could prove decisive in determining control of the upper chamber of Congress.