Democrats have taken control of the US Senate after a series of victories in former Republican strongholds, dealing a major blow to President Donald Trump, who has been branded a “failed lame duck president”.
Historic Senate wins
In a remarkable sweep, the Democrats won Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and Ohio. The party also flipped a string of seats in the House of Representatives in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina.
Senate candidate James Talarico became the first Democrat to win a statewide office in Texas since 1994.
Reaction from Trump and Ossoff
The midterm victories represent a major blow to Mr Trump, who had earlier urged people to pretend he was on the ballot paper. In the face of losses, Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!”
Potential 2028 presidential challenger and Democratic US senator Jon Ossoff won re-election in Georgia, which had been a top Republican target. The 39-year-old has been a leading critic of the US president and his administration, raising his national profile.
Mr Ossoff told supporters: “In sweeping and decisive victories the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption, and incompetence of the failed lame duck president Donald J Trump.
“And if, at times these last two years, amidst the ceaseless onslaught of brutality and indecency, you doubted whether our republic would survive, let tonight’s results give you courage that the first light of dawn is on the horizon.”
