Millions of Americans went to the polls in the midterms to elect a new Congress, with the vote seen as a key test of support for President Donald Trump halfway through his second term. The outcome will determine which party controls Congress, which consists of two chambers – the lower House of Representatives and the upper Senate.
The election is for all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators. A majority in the House requires 218 seats, while Democrats need 51 seats to control the Senate. Republicans only need 50 seats to control the Senate because in the event of a 50:50 tie, the deciding vote is cast by US Vice President JD Vance, giving his party control of the chamber.
According to polls and projections, Democrats have a better chance of taking control of the House of Representatives than Republicans, while the outcome of the Senate race is highly uncertain. Control of the Senate will be decided by battles in about a dozen key states, where turnout has been significantly higher than four years ago. The Republican majority in the Senate since 2024 stands at 53-47, and in the House of Representatives at 220-215.
The first polling stations closed in the United States. Polls closed in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia, with Ohio being one of the states whose results will be closely watched. Polls also closed in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and New Hampshire, while they had earlier closed in Kentucky and Indiana.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner won the US Senate election in the state of Virginia, defeating Republican opponent Bert Mizusawa. Warner secured a fourth term and serves as vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. His victory was achieved in a state with one of the highest proportions of federal government employees. Mizusawa is a retired US Army brigadier general and Afghanistan war veteran.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives, told volunteers in Washington that the Democratic Party is 'on the brink' of winning a majority and that the United States needs a change of direction.
In Kentucky, with nine per cent of ballots counted, Republican Andy Barr had 51.9 per cent, Democrat Charles Booker 46.7 per cent, and independent Christopher Campbell 1.4 per cent. Approximately 1.6 million votes need to be counted in that state, with around 160,000 currently processed.
After polling stations close, it may take several hours, days or even weeks before election result projections are known. The party controlling the White House usually loses House seats in US midterms, and since 1938, the president's party has lost House seats in every midterm election.
