APPLENEWS - STORY ADD

Election 2026 live results: Hakeem Jeffries officially launches bid to be 1st Black speaker of the House

House Democrats will hold leadership elections on Nov. 18.

Democrats won several key races in the high-stakes midterm elections -- with ABC News projecting that Democrats will take control of the Senate and the House.


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Speaker Johnson says he's 'disappointed' in election results but 'never discouraged'

House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged that he is "disappointed" in the midterm election results during remarks in Shreveport, Louisiana.

"To every American disappointed by tonight's results, I mean, I am disappointed, too. But we are never discouraged. OK? Because we live in the greatest nation in the world," Johnson, who appeared emotional, said.

Johnson said the outcome of an election "on one night doesn't change" Republicans' mandate.

"Republicans have much more work to do to give every American a shot at a better life, to ensure that the United States remains the freest and most prosperous, most powerful nation in the history of the world," he said. "We will never give up on that endeavor and that vision. A new Congress doesn't change that at all."

The speaker said he will address the midterms more in the coming days.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller


How Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Georgia gubernatorial race

Georgia has not had a Democrat in the state's highest office since Roy Barnes left office in 2003. Here's a look at what propelled Democrat and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to victory, according to ABC News Voter Polls.

Gender: Women in Georgia favored Lance Bottoms by roughly 10 percentage points, while about half of men favored Republican Rick Jackson, according to ABC News Voter Polls. In 2022, men supported Brian Kemp by an 11-percentage-point margin over his opponent, Democrat Stacey Abrams (55% vs 44%), while women favored Kemp by a 5-point margin (52% vs 47%).

Age: About 3 in 4 voters between the ages of 18-29 voted for Lance Bottoms, while about 6 in 10 between the ages of 30-44 did the same.

Party: Independents were about 10 percentage points more likely to favor Lance Bottoms, according to ABC News Voter Polls.

Race: Lance Bottoms was propelled to victory by Black voters across Georgia, according to ABC News Voter Polls. Roughly 3 in 10 Georgia voters are Black and around 9 in 10 of these voters favored her. She was also able to gain among Latino voters; about 6 in 10 Latino voters supported her in this year’s election -- roughly 10 percentage points higher than the share Abrams received in 2022.

-ABC News' Will Bishop


Democrat Klobuchar projected to win Minnesota governor race

Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is projected to replace retiring Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, after she defeated Republican Lisa Demuth.

Her victory will leave an opening in her Senate seat.

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim


Democrat Peggy Flanagan projected to win Minnesota Senate seat

Democrat Peggy Flanagan, the Minnesota lieutenant governor, is projected to win the Minnesota Senate seat, beating GOP opponent Michele Tafoya.

Flanagan is the first indigenous woman elected to the U.S. Senate.