Ellie Fivas

Sen. Pete Ricketts is projected to win reelection in Nebraska against independent challenger Dan Osborn, a bright spot for Republicans on what has been a brutal night for their party. Ricketts portrayed Osborn, one of several independent candidates across the country who ran a competitive campaign, as “Democrat Dan” to discredit his pledge not to caucus with either party if he made it to Washington.

DETROIT — Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, marking a potentially pivotal moment for his party after an ugly election cycle. Progressives nationally bet big on El-Sayed, arguing for months that a candidate on the left could win in a swing state like Michigan by focusing on economic issues with a boisterous political and personal style. His victory gives his ideological allies — including dedicated endorsers like Rep.

The answer to at least one of the questions everyone has been asking will be made clear by Tuesday’s midterm results: Just how accurate were the polls? Campaigns, donors and outside groups across the country made decisions about how to spend millions based on polls. Whether it was worth it — whether they even needed to — will soon be apparent. But because of polls, the battlegrounds that both parties are focused on are spread across far more states than at the start of the cycle.