Live Updates: Senate control in the balance as Democrats and Republicans fight for battleground states

Polls are closed in all but two states — Hawaii and Alaska — with control of the Senate remaining a toss-up. 

Polls have closed in several key battleground states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada. 

CBS News characterizes the races in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin as toss-ups. 

Among other battleground states, Republicans will win in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina and Democrats will win in Colorado and New Hampshire, CBS News projects.

Voters have Senate control of the chamber on their minds — in each of the Senate battlegrounds where CBS News has conducted exit polls, voters said control of the Senate is important to their vote. CBS News conducted statewide surveys in 11 key battleground states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

In each of these states, voters have negative views of the nation’s economy. 

Right now, in most of the Senate battleground states, the issue of inflation is outpacing abortion in terms of the importance of the issue to voters. But in Pennsylvania’s closely-watched race, early exit polling shows abortion outpaces inflation as a concern for voters.

Nearly three in four voters were dissatisfied about the country as they headed to the polls Tuesday, according to early exit polling. That includes almost a third who said they were angry. Almost three-quarters said the economy is bad, and nearly half of voters said their family’s finances are worse than they were two years ago.

In Georgia’s Senate race, where Democrat Raphael Warnock is defending his seat against a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker, voters said the qualities voters are looking for are honesty and integrity, as well as a candidate who shares their values. 

In Pennsylvania, the electorate is divided on whether Democrat John Fetterman is healthy enough to serve effectively as a U.S. senator. Right now, there is also a bit more concern that Republican Mehmet Oz has not lived in the state long enough to serve effectively.

Thirty-five Senate seats are up for grabs in total in the 2022 midterm elections, but under a third are expected to be close. Control of the chamber will come down to the races in those battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.