The Republican Party won control of the United States Senate, capturing key seats in West Virginia and Ohio on Tuesday as the results of the presidential elections rolled in, reported Reuters. This ensures that Donald Trump’s party will lead at least one chamber of Congress next year.
In the House of Representatives, Republicans gained early leads as they fought to retain control. These results position the party to support Trump in appointing conservative judges and officials if he returns to the presidency, or to counter Democrat Kamala Harris’s agenda should she win the contest.
West Virginia’s open Senate seat saw a Republican victory as Jim Justice was projected to win, succeeding Joe Manchin, an independent former Democrat.
In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno defeated incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, securing a 51-49 Republican majority in the Senate, with more gains yet possible as the counting of votes continues.
In the House, Republicans secured victories in multiple districts, potentially expanding their current 220-212 majority though final results could take days to confirm.
In Pennsylvania, they won a previously Democrat-held district in Scranton, which is President Joe Biden’s hometown.
The Republicans also gained seats in North Carolina after redistricting in their favour.
Democrats managed to win a Republican-held district in New York and another seat in Alabama that had been redrawn to create a Black majority district as per a Supreme Court directive.
To regain control of the 435-seat chamber, the Democrats will need to flip six seats at the very least.
Meanwhile, voters in Delaware made history by electing Democrat Sarah McBride as the nation’s first openly transgender Congress member.
The Senate is also set to welcome two Black women for the first time as Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester won in Delaware and media reports project Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will win in Maryland.
House control remains undecided, though analysts indicate that Democrats have a viable path to gain enough seats for a majority.
With around 200 seats likely safe for each party, the chamber is poised for a narrow majority on either side. The final decision on House control may come down to races in Democratic strongholds such as New York and California, where counting often extends over several days.
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