Live updates on 2022 midterm Election Day

Republican J.D. Vance defeated Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in Ohio’s U.S. Senate race, keeping the seat red and boosting the party’s bid to flip control of the chamber, NBC News projected.

Vance’s win will increase the GOP’s chances of regaining control of the Senate, which is currently split 50-50 by party.

Vance and Ryan were vying for the seat made vacant by retiring two-term Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Ohio has shifted to be more reliably Republican in recent elections, voting for former President Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

Both Vance and Ryan positioned themselves as populists seeking to appeal to working-class Americans.

— Emma Kinery

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan has won reelection in New Hampshire, defeating Republican challenger Donald Bolduc, NBC News projected.

The race is a key victory for Democrats in the swing state, which also reelected Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. Hassan’s defense of her seat boosts Democrats’ attempt to hold the Senate.

Hassan led Bolduc by about 12 percentage points of the vote with 50% of New Hampshire reporting.

— Jack Stebbins

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott won a third term over Democratic opponent Beto O’Rourke, NBC News projected.

Abbott was leading O’Rourke by about 10 percentage points with about two-thirds of the vote in, according to NBC. The incumbent prevailed despite historic fundraising by O’Rourke’s campaign.

O’Rourke gained notoriety in 2018 when he ran a surprisingly close U.S. Senate race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

— Chelsey Cox

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger has been reelected to the House in Virginia’s 7th District, defeating Republican challenger Yesli Vega, NBC News projected.

The central Virginia district was widely considered a litmus test for how Democrats might fare in swing districts during an election cycle that historically favors Republicans. The GOP came into Election Day heavily favored to win House control, but Spanberger’s swing district was seen as a crucial one for Democrats to hold in order to curb their losses.

Spanberger, a former CIA agent, was first elected to Congress in 2018, winning a seat in a district that includes Richmond suburbs that are typically friendly to Democrats.

But redistricting in 2020 shifted Spanberger’s district north to the outer suburbs of Washington D.C., where the electorate is 20% Latino and voters are more socially conservative than in her current district.

— Christina Wilkie

Democrat Josh Shapiro won his bid for governor of Pennsylvania, defeating election denier Doug Mastriano, NBC News projected.

Shapiro will replace Democrat Tom Wolf, who reached the commonwealth’s two-term limit.

Shapiro has served as Pennsylvania’s attorney general since 2017 and was previously a state representative. He outraised and outspent Mastriano by more than 10 times in the race, with his campaign using $44 million to Mastriano’s less than $4 million.

— Jack Stebbins

Half of voters approve of President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive some student debt, according to an NBC News exit poll, with younger voters favoring the plan more…