Ecstatic scenes and historic moments: What's happened so far in the midterms

Ecstatic scenes and historic moments: What's happened so far in the midterms

ByNardine Saad

Reporting fromLos Angeles, California

Early results in the midterms have delivered significant gains for the Democrats, with the party projected to take control of Congress.

Even before all polls have closed across the US, the night has provided some historic results and scenes of celebration. These are some of the key moments so far.

Cheers as Democrats win first Senate flip of the night in North Carolina

There were cheers from supporters in North Carolina as the Democrats secured the night's first flip of a Senate seat.

The state's former Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, won against Republican candidate Michael Whatley.

"Tonight we show the country that when everyday people come together, we can make change," Cooper said as he addressed his supporters on Tuesday.

The last time the Democrats won a Senate race in the state was 2008, despite the party making enormous investment in time and money behind their candidates in recent contests.

Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes first black female governor

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, has been projected to win the governor's race in Georgia, becoming the first black governor and first woman to be elected to the state's highest office.

The BBC's Carl Nasman described ecstatic scenes as the race was projected blue, which came after the state's former senator said the party was "nauseously optimistic" about their chances this year.

Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, a billionaire businessman and healthcare executive, who was endorsed by outgoing Governor Brian Kemp and President Trump, who spent $200 million of his own money on the race.

The state has also not had a Democratic governor in more than 20 years.

Ossoff victory in Georgia adds fuel to 2028 speculation

As well as Bottoms being elected the new governor of Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff has been projected as the winner of the Senate race there, giving him a second term.

His victory was not unexpected as he had a comfortable lead in the polls over his Republican challenger Mike Collins - a member of the lower House chamber.

Ossoff told his supporters following his victory that for those who "doubted whether our republic would survive" over the last two years, the "first light of dawn is on the horizon".

Republicans had hoped this would be a more competitive race because the Peach State has been reliably Republican for decades. Trump also won it in the 2024 presidential election, after Joe Biden eked out a narrow victory there in 2020.

Now that he has won re-election in the Senate, the speculation surrounding Ossoff's plans for the next presidential election in 2028 will likely increase - he is considered a potential leading contender if he throws his hat in the ring.

Chris Pappas is first openly gay man elected to Senate

In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas has also made history as the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

He is projected to defeat former Republican Senator John Sununu in the race - who comes from one of the state's political dynasties having seen his father and brother serve as governor.

But the contest between the two was well-natured, with Pappas thanking his opponent on Tuesday by saying: "We all owe John Sununu a big debt of gratitude for his public service for the people of New Hampshire."

The 46-year-old Pappas had represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019 but chose not to run for re-election so he could launch his campaign for the Senate.