KABUL (Pajhwok): Democrats have moved closer to regaining control of the US Senate and are projected to win the House of Representatives after making significant gains in Tuesday’s midterm elections, Reuters reported.
Victories in traditionally Republican South Carolina and North Carolina dealt a major blow to President Donald Trump and his party.
In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state since 1998. Graham had been appointed to the seat following the death of her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, and was endorsed by Trump.
Andrews’ victory, alongside Roy Cooper’s win in North Carolina, gave Democrats two of the four additional Senate seats they need to secure a majority.
Democrats also retained Senate seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, while key races in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Maine, Ohio and Texas remained undecided.
In the House of Representatives, Democrats had gained four Republican-held seats, with several media outlets projecting that they would secure a majority.
The results reflected voter dissatisfaction with Trump’s administration, particularly over rising living costs, economic concerns and the war with Iran.
Exit polls showed that half of voters viewed the elections as an opportunity to rebuke Trump, while 70 per cent wanted Congress to exercise greater oversight of the president.
In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon, although by a narrower margin than Trump’s victory in the state in 2024. Democrats also retained three House districts redrawn by Republicans.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states, describing the operation as the largest of its kind in US history.
Democrats criticised the deployment as potential voter intimidation. Officials in several states reported no problems, although New Mexico authorities received reports of federal monitors asking unusual questions in one county.
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