The Democrat Party is projected to take control of the Senate, according to CNN, following a series of upset victories during the midterm elections. The party is on course to have full control of Congress in a major blow to President Donald Trump, as voters deliver their verdict on Trump’s first two years back in office.
Democrat James Talarico Wins Texas Senate Seat
Most US election seats are reliably won by one party, meaning control of Congress comes down to competitive battleground seats. In the Senate, a party needs 51 seats for an outright majority, though a 50-50 split allows the vice-president a tie-breaking vote to give their party control. Among the notable outcomes of the night, Democrat James Talarico is projected to win in Texas, beating Republican Ken Paxton in a state that had not sent a Democrat to Washington since 1988.
Earlier Election Night Expectations
As election coverage started after 18.00 EST, analysts noted that the earliest results would not reveal much about the overall outcome because those races were located in places considered safe bets for Republicans, such as Kentucky and Indiana, or safe bets for Democrats, such as Vermont. Attention quickly turned to tight Senate contests in the Eastern Time zone, including Ohio where polls closed at 19:30 EST and Maine where they shut at 20:00 EST.
Media Outlets Project Winners Before Full Vote Counts
US media outlets use models to project winners before the full vote count is completed when they determine a trailing candidate has no path to victory. Estimates for total votes in each state update throughout election night and in the following days as data on voter turnout becomes available, with the overall timing of results depending on how tight individual races prove to be.
More on Senate
Related reading