Ron Johnson WINS Wisconsin and keeps Republican hopes of winning the Senate alive
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Wisconsin’s Republican Sen. Ron Johnson officially won his bid for reelection over Democratic opponent, the state’s Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.
The race was called by the Associated Press at 11:46 a.m. CST Wednesday morning. Johnson had 50.5 percent of the vote to Barnes’ 49.5 percent with 95 percent of the vote reporting.
Earlier in the morning, Johnson had lashed out at the media for not calling his race yet, claiming victory and saying the Democrat had ‘no path mathematically’ for a win.
‘The corporate media is refusing to call a race that is over. The votes are in,’ the pro-Trump senator said. ‘There is no path mathematically for Lt. Gov. Barnes to overcome his 27,374 vote deficit. This race is over. Truth has prevailed over lies and the politics of personal destruction.’
Johnson’s win keeps Republicans hopes alive for a Senate majority.
The Republicans lost one seat to Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman, whose race over Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz was called around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Wisconsin’s Republican Sen. Ron Johnson officially won his bid for reelection over Democratic opponent, the state’s Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes
Remaining Senate races to be called are Georgia, which will likely head to a run-off, Arizona and Nevada
The race was called by the Associated Press for Republican Sen. Ron Johnson at 11:46 a.m. CST Wednesday morning. He appeared in front of supporters in Neenah, Wisconsin overnight, before leaving the venue of his election night party
The fate of three Democratic incumbents is still up in the air: Sens. Mark Kelly in Arizona, Raphael Warnock in Georgia and Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada
Supporters of Republican Sen. Ron Johnson hold up signs at his election night party in Neenah, Wisconsin
Democrat Mandela Barnes is photographed at a canvass launch event on Tuesday in Glendale, Wisconsin
Signs for Sen. Ron Johnson’s Democratic opponent Mandela Barnes are strewn about his election night headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Oz called Fetterman at 9:30am Wednesday to concede, Fetterman’s spokesman said.
Oz said in a statement after the fact, ‘This morning I called John Fetterman and congratulated him. I wish him and his family all the best, both personally and as our next United States Senator. Campaigning throughout our great Commonwealth was the honor of a lifetime, and I will cherish the memories.’
It’s a massive pickup for Democrats, who are taking over the seat from retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.
Both parties, as well as outside groups, invested millions of dollars in the race, and both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump campaigned in the state as it went down to the wire.
Fetterman’s win put the Democrats in position to potentially control the chamber by a narrow margin – but the jury’s still out.
In order to flip the Senate Republicans will need to win at least two of three outstanding races.
Democratic Senate hopeful John Fetterman defeated Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, wrapping up one of the most closely watched races of the midterms just before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning
As he walked onstage, Fetterman admitted surprise – as the count was expected to take several days
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock was leading Republican Herschel Walker by less than a percentage point, but at less than the threshold to avoid a run-off.
That election would be held in early December.
Per the Peach State’s election rules, a winner must get 50 percent plus one vote to avoid facing their opponent on the ballot again.
‘While county officials are still doing the detailed work on counting the votes, we feel it is safe to say there will be a runoff for the US Senate here in Georgia slated for December 6,’ tweeted Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling.
That same runoff process had the state send two Democratic senators to Washington two years ago.
The vote counts barely moved overnight in two western battlegrounds: Nevada, where Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was trailing Adam Laxalt, and Arizona, where Sen. Mark Kelly was leading Blake Masters.
The fifth race, Alaska’s showdown between warring factions of the GOP, is guaranteed to send a Republican to the Senate.
But whether it’s Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka or Mitch McConnell-endorsed Senator Lisa Murkowski remains to be seen after the state’s ranked-choice votes are all tallied.