US Republicans retake Senate but House race still too close to call
US Republicans have secured a majority in the Senate, US broadcasters reported on Wednesday, but the party still faces a battle to retain the House of Representatives despite Donald Trump's triumph in the presidential election.
Victory in both chambers of Congress would hand Trump the power to fundamentally reshape the country, but dozens of races in the 435-seat House remain too close to call after Tuesday's vote, with the Democratic Party narrowly behind.
The Republicans have overturned Democrats' control of the Senate after flipping competitive seats in Ohio and Montana, and a further victory in West Virginia, according to projections by broadcasters CNN, NBC and CBS.
Following the results, Republicans have at least 52 seats in the 100-seat Senate, and they could record further victories with races in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Michigan going down to the wire.
Control of the Senate could allow the Republicans to further expand the conservative majority in the Supreme Court, with the potential to shape the country's future for decades.
Republicans dominate Senate races
With 34 seats in the Senate up for grabs in this year's election, the Democrats were already expecting an extremely difficult battle to maintain their control of the chamber before Donald Trump's resounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris demonstrated the Republicans' strength across the country.
Incumbent Democratic Senators Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester lost their races in the Republican-majority states of Ohio and Montana, while the Republicans also picked up a seat vacated by Joe Manchin - a former Democrat turned independent - in deep-red West Virginia.
Republicans also kept hold of their seat in Nebraska, with incumbent Deb Fisher winning another term despite an unusual challenge from independent Dan Osborn.
Elsewhere, Ted Cruz and Rick Scott - two Trump allies that Democrats were hoping to unseat in Texas and Florida - easily won re-election, as did left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders in Vermont.
A number of races in the key swing states that decided the election for Trump were still too close to call on Wednesday, with incumbent Democratic Senators Bob Casey and Jacky Rosen trailing in Pennsylvania and Nevada respectively, while Democrats were narrowly ahead in Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan.
If Republicans can extend their majority to 55 seats, the Senate could prove out of reach for Democrats to retake in mid-term elections in 2026.
House of Representatives still up for grabs
Meanwhile, the result of the election to the 435-seat House of Representatives was still unclear on Wednesday with neither party yet achieving the 218-seat majority to control the lower chamber.
All 435 seats in the House were up for grabs, with Republicans holding a slim majority of 220 to 212 before Election Day.
Flipping the House could provide a glimmer of hope for Democrats reeling from a dramatic electoral campaign, but their path to victory was continuing to narrow, with CNN projecting a Republican lead of 204 seats to 182.
The CBS network had Democrats behind with 188 seats to 197, while NBC had Republicans up 203 to 178.
