Electors across the US voted on Tuesday (local time) to decide whether the Democrats or Republicans will control the Senate and House of Representatives.
As results of the crucial US midterm elections come in, Republicans look set to take control of the House of Representatives, but the battle for control of the Senate is on a knife’s edge. As per the latest trends, Republicans are leading in 186 seats while Democrats are ahead in 162 seats in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, there is a cliffhanger situation with both parties tied for the lead in 46 seats, according to media projections.
No Senate seat has flipped yet, and several key contests are too close to call, including in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
The battle for control of Congress is beginning to take shape as votes are counted in competitive races across the nation. Republicans flipped Democratic-held House seats in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.
However, several Democratic incumbents, including two House members in Virginia, have won competitive races and others are leading, indicating that Republicans have an advantage but not the nationwide wave they hoped for, according to local media.
Luria, a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, lost her Virginia Beach-based House seat, media projected.
Three Democratic-controlled House races in Virginia were widely viewed as an early warning signal of the night’s results.
Democrats held seats in two Virginia districts that Biden won in 2020. CNN projected that Democratic Jennifer Wexton won her reelection bid in Virginia’s 10th District. In an even more competitive race, media projected that Rep. Abigail Spanberger also won reelection in Virginia’s 7th District.
But Democrats lost in southeastern Virginia, with CNN projecting that Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans defeated Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria.
Gov. Ron DeSantis led a dominant Republican ticket in Florida, delivering historic margins in Democratic territory in his victory over Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist on a night that provides him with a powerful argument if he seeks the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.