As Midterm Election Results Roll In, These Are the Races to Watch

Alex Ossola reported from New York on his way to vote, while Journal reporters described activity nationwide. In Detroit, Owen Tucker-Smith said voters were eager to discuss Michigan’s Senate race after Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed McRogers. Georgia expected record midterm turnout; federal election monitors were present in Democratic-leaning counties but appeared largely inactive, while Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said voting was running smoothly aside from minor issues. Texas also saw record early voting, with more than 7.7 million ballots cast, and steady Election Day turnout.

National political reporter Ken Thomas said Kentucky’s 6th District is an early Democratic barometer: Republican Ralph Alvarado is defending a seat Trump won by 15 points in 2024 against former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo, and a Dembo victory could signal a Democratic wave. In Indiana, a loss by Republican Victoria Sparks would also hurt Republicans. For Republican strength, Thomas pointed to New Jersey-area races involving Mike Lawler and Tom Kane Jr.; holding those seats would suggest a better-than-expected night. Iowa is his Senate bellwether: Republican Ashley Hinson is defending a normally safe seat against Democrat Josh Turek, while Democrat Rob Sand is favored in the governor’s race.

President Trump told Fox News that the U.S. would stop its roughly $4 billion-a-year military aid to Israel by the end of the year. National security reporter Robbie Gramer said phasing out traditional aid had been discussed for months because bipartisan support for Israel is weakening, but the accelerated timeline surprised Israeli officials; Benjamin Netanyahu had proposed a decade-long transition. Trump’s midterm-election politics and pressure from Republicans skeptical of support during the prolonged Iran war appear relevant. Congress ultimately controls appropriations, though officials are considering replacing direct aid with joint procurement for missile defenses, drones, and counter-drone systems.

A Russian airstrike hit a school where humanitarian aid was being distributed, killing at least 31 people and leaving about 50 missing. A separate strike injured more than 70 people at a hospital in Kharkiv. The report said Moscow has intensified attacks on civilian locations, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of taking advantage of U.S. distraction during the midterm elections.

The Journal reported that China’s government instructed major securities firms and banks to slow their work on initial public offerings and concentrate on supporting the stock market. The Shanghai Composite Index had fallen more than 9% over two months. Limiting new IPOs would keep a flood of new shares from worsening the market’s supply-demand imbalance while China’s economy struggles.

U.S. stocks received the modest Election Day lift they have often experienced over the past 50 years. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq gained 0.8%, its first increase in nearly a week. Apple fell 1.9%, weighing on the Dow, which declined 0.4%—its worst midterm Election Day performance since 1990.

Investor Carl Icahn’s CVR Energy agreed to purchase two refineries from Marathon Petroleum for $4.2 billion. The report said energy companies have been seeking refinery acquisitions to expand fuel production, as the Russia-Ukraine war and conflicts in the Middle East have removed part of the world’s refining capacity and increased profits for U.S. refiners.

President Trump has promoted “superintelligence” over “artificial intelligence,” saying “artificial” makes the technology sound fake and calling companies that use “AI” rather than “superintelligence” the enemy. Elon Musk and the All In podcast hosts publicly adopted the preferred wording, but it has not spread widely. A Journal analysis found that only five of 119 S&P 500 companies discussing the technology in recent calls, filings, or releases used a version of “superintelligence.” The term also has a specific meaning in the AI community: a still-hypothetical system that exceeds human capabilities.