Republicans win majority in US Senate after 4 years

by · Rediff

The Republican Party has gained a majority in the US Senate after four years, as counting is underway for the presidential elections.

IMAGE: Donald Trump supporters cheer at the election night rally at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

According to the current projections, Republicans have won 51 seats in the 100-member upper house of US Congress, while the Democrats have 42.

Notably, 28 seats held by Democrats and 38 seats held by Republicans didn't go to polls this time.

The total of 538 votes in the US electoral college comprises 435 House of Representatives, 100 Senate seats and 3 seats from Washington, DC.

Along with the 435 seats of the lower house, 34 seats of the US Senate also went to polls this time. While the entire House of Representatives will be re-elected, one-third of the Senate will be renewed.

Harris and Trump need at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency in an election that is seen as one of the most significant in recent US history.

Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, is seeking a return to the White House. Vice President Harris is aiming to create history by becoming the first woman president in US history.

The election is expected to come down to a handful of battleground states -- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump has won the battleground states of Georgia and North Carolina.