WASHINGTON: Democrats made significant gains in the US midterm elections, flipping the Georgia governorship and taking Senate seats in North Carolina and South Carolina, in what party leaders and pollsters read as a rebuke to President Donald Trump.
Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of Georgia, defeating Republican Rick Jackson. Democrat Roy Cooper flipped North Carolina's Senate seat. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews, a doctor, upset Republican Darline Graham — who was appointed in July after the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham — and will be the first woman elected to the Senate from the state and its first Democratic senator in more than two decades. Senator Jon Ossoff was re-elected in Georgia and Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's Senate race.
Indian-American candidates had a mixed night. Suhas Subramanyam, 40, was re-elected to the House from Virginia's 10th district and Pia Dandiya, 39, a former high school principal, won Florida's 22nd district, defeating Republican Casey Askar. Aruna Miller, 61, was re-elected Maryland's Lieutenant Governor. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy lost the Ohio governor's race to Democrat Amy Acton. Nithya Raman, born in Kerala, was in a tight race for Los Angeles mayor against Karen Bass.
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats and three in the House for control. More than 59 million people voted early, according to an Associated Press analysis. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico was leading Republican Ken Paxton in a Senate race.
(With inputs from PTI, AP and media reports)