Democrats Edge Towards Control of Both Houses in US Midterms, With Major Senate Upsets

In the United States midterm elections, the Democratic Party is on course to take control of the House of Representatives, dealing a major blow to the ruling Republican Party. At the same time, Democrats have reached the brink of a Senate majority by snatching victories in Republican strongholds such as Texas, Ohio and South Carolina. The information comes from forecasts by the international news agency Reuters and US media outlets.

According to the results, Democrats are in a strong position to win control of the lower house after taking at least eight Republican seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina. Democrats have also built a strong position in areas traditionally known as conservative.

In the Senate race in Ohio, Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown is returning to the Senate after defeating Republican Senator John Husted.

In Texas, Democratic lawmaker James Talarico defeated scandal-hit Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, amid fierce competition and heavy spending by opponents.

In South Carolina, paediatrician and Democratic candidate Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, who had been given the seat after former Senator Lindsey Graham's death. Earlier, Democrat Roy Cooper also won the Senate election in North Carolina.

If Democrats hold their seats in Michigan and Minnesota, the equation for the four additional seats they need to win control of the Senate has already come together. They have also held their seats in Georgia and New Hampshire.

After winning in Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff told a rally, in sharp criticism of Trump, that through a sweeping and final victory the American people had rejected the decay, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump.

After the risk of Republicans losing their dominance in Congress became clear, Trump wrote on social media that his name was not on the ballot. If it had been, he said, they would have won by a huge margin.

Analysts say voters' intense anger over control of the country's economic situation and the rise in fuel oil prices following the Iran war that began in February has been expressed in this election.

An exit poll conducted jointly by the Associated Press and major US media outlets found that more than half of voters used this election as a tool to express dissatisfaction with Trump. In the survey, 75 percent of voters expressed anger or dissatisfaction with the country's current overall situation, and 70 percent said they wanted more congressional control and balance over the president.

Even in the strong Republican bastion of Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody was able to retain her seat by a margin of only 3 percent after a close fight with rival Democratic candidate Angie Nixon.

Meanwhile, for the overall security and monitoring of the election, the US Department of Justice deployed about a thousand observers in 50 states, in what is being called the largest oversight operation in history. Democrats, however, allege that this was an attempt to influence and intimidate voters.