Race for US Congress is tight, no Republican ‘red wave’

Republicans made modest gains in United States (US) midterm elections but Democrats did better than expected, and control of Congress and President Joe Biden’s agenda was unclear on Wednesday morning.

Many of the most competitive races were too close to call but Republicans acknowledged that the election was not producing the sweeping “red wave” victory they sought.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans were favored to win a narrow majority that would allow them to block Biden’s legislative priorities and launch investigations into his administration and family.

By early Wednesday, Republicans had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one more than the minimum they need to take over the chamber.

USA Mid-term Elections | Polling appears to give Republicans the edge as voting under way:

But Democrats were doing much better than many had expected.

In a critical win for President Joe Biden, Democratic candidate John Fetterman flipped a Republican-held US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, beating celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and bolstering his party’s chances of holding the chamber.

The mood at the White House improved as the night wore on, with once-nervous aides celebrating Fetterman’s victory and saying they still hoped to hold the Senate.

Biden posted a photo of himself on Twitter happily congratulating some of the Democratic winners by phone.

Control of the Senate depended on tight races in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, where ballots were still being counted.