Republicans claim Senate control as midterm results unfold

The Senate majority was assured when Republican Bernie Moreno defeated Sherrod Brown, who had held the Ohio seat for 18 years. This marks the second Republican win after Jim Justice, as anticipated, secured the seat in West Virginia, replacing Joe Manchin.

Democrats had slim hopes of capturing Senate seats from Ted Cruz in Texas and Deb Fischer in Nebraska, but these contests ended in favour of the Republicans. This results in Donald Trump's party having at least 51 seats in the 100-member Senate. It is also plausible that Republican Jim Sheehy will defeat Democratic Senator Jon Tester in Montana.

The magnitude of the Republican victory may increase, though races in Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin remain undecided, where Democrats are defending seats. In Arizona, Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego is the clear frontrunner.

The Republican resurgence in the Senate was anticipated before the elections, as Democrats needed to defend more of their held seats (voters elect only a third of the Senate every two years). The victory for the right signifies, among other things, a greater opportunity for Donald Trump—should he return to the White House—to solidify the conservatives' influence over the Supreme Court.

The outcome of which party will hold the majority in the House of Representatives remains undecided. Republicans are defending a narrow four-seat majority there. So far, Republicans have secured 177 seats and Democrats 144, but the clear frontrunner has prevailed in most of these contests. However, most of the several dozen tightly contested races remain undecided.