Republicans want to take back control of the US Senate

Republicans are expected to have regained control of the U.S. Senate after flipping Senate seats in West Virginia and Ohio.

The projected results have the Senate split 51-49 in favor of Republicans.

Jim Justice, the current governor of West Virginia, is expected to win the seat vacated by former Democrat Joe Manchin, while Bernie Moreno ousted Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in Ohio.

The Republicans are currently in the lead in the House of Representatives – although several races are still undecided.

If the Republican Party controls the House, Senate and White House, it would have broad power to pass laws and implement the president's partisan agenda.

The Republicans last won a majority in the Senate in 2018.

In Ohio, Brown was expected to lose to Moreno, a Colombian immigrant and former car salesman who called the veteran politician “too liberal for Ohio.”

The contest has been called the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history.

Brown told his supporters that the result was a “disappointment but not a failure,” adding: “I'm not giving up our fight for workers, and I know you won't either.”

The West Virginia seat is expected to go Republican. It was challenged after the resignation of Manchin, who frequently clashed with members of his own party before independence.

Justice was a Democrat himself before switching parties to Republicans at a Trump rally in 2017.

A total of 34 seats in the Senate were contested on Tuesday.

In Texas, Trump ally Ted Cruz fended off a strong challenge from former NFL player Colin Allred and won a third term.

Democrats launched a concerted effort to defeat Cruz, but the party has not won a statewide election in Texas in more than 30 years.

Republicans also retained Nebraska's seat for incumbent Deb Fischer after a surprisingly strong challenge from auto mechanic Dan Osborn, a registered independent.

The Senate result immediately sparked discussions about who would replace Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader in the next legislative session.

McConnell, 82, announced earlier this year that he was stepping down from his powerful role.

Rick Scott, a Republican incumbent in Florida who retained his seat despite a challenge from former Miami-area Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat who immigrated from Ecuador as a child.

At a victory rally early Tuesday evening, Scott correctly predicted that Republicans would win the Senate majority, adding that he would be elected Senate majority leader.

“Florida is the center of the Republican Party of this country,” he told the crowd. “Washington can learn a lot from what we have done here in this great state.”

Democrats held a seat in Delaware, a state that President Joe Biden represented as a senator for 36 years, with a victory for Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester, elected to her fourth term.

In Maryland, Democrats retained a seat vacated by Ben Cardin, with Angela Alsobrooks defeating popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

They will be the first Black female senators to represent their respective states.

In New Jersey, Democrats retained a seat vacated by Bob Menendez, who resigned after being found guilty of accepting bribes for political favors. Andy Kim, 42, will become the first ever Korean-American senator.

In California, Rep. Adam Schiff, who led the first of two impeachment trials against Trump, retained a seat held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Other contests that could have taken control of the upper chamber were in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Montana, Michigan, Nevada, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Both parties are also vying for control of the House of Representatives, although the balance of power there won't be known for several days.

The vast majority of parliamentary elections take place in “safe districts” – regions where a party is almost certain to win. But a handful of other races in swing districts could decide who controls Washington DC.

Many states have House races that could tip the balance, with closely watched elections in California, New York, Washington, Maine and Alaska.

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher breaks down the race for the White House in his twice-weekly newsletter, US Election Unspun. Readers in the UK can Register here. People outside the UK can do this Register here.