Voting in the US midterm elections has ended. The last polling stations closed in Alaska.
Vote counting is still underway in many polling stations, but preliminary results in a number of states and congressional districts are such that they are unlikely to change significantly, the BBC reports.
According to preliminary results, Democrats are set to secure a majority in the House of Representatives, where they need 218 seats. According to estimates by CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Democrats could win at least 245 seats in the House, while Republicans could secure 166.
Preliminary estimates also indicate that Democrats are taking control of the upper chamber of Congress. Democrats have already secured at least 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats.
Earlier, as vote counting progressed, it became clear that Republican Senate candidates had lost in several states where their party had traditionally enjoyed strong support. These included Texas, where Democrats had not won for more than 30 years; Maine; South Carolina, where Republican Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darlene Graham, was defeated; Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed is leading, becoming the first Muslim in the history of the upper chamber of Congress; and finally Ohio, where current Vice President JD Vance won two years ago.
A convincing Democratic victory would effectively derail President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and pave the way for a series of investigations into his administration and business ventures during the final two years of his presidency, CBS News notes.
The newly elected members of Congress and senators will take their seats on Capitol Hill in early January 2027.
