Democrats retain control of US Senate

The remarkable midterms election result defies predictions of a Republican ‘red wave’ over both houses of congress.

President Joe Biden's Democrats retained control of the US Senate. Picture: AFP

President Joe Biden’s Democrats have retained control of the US Senate, a remarkable midterms election result that defied predictions of a Republican win over both houses of congress.

US television networks called the key Senate race in Nevada for Democrat incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto late on Saturday night (Sunday AEDT), giving the party the 50 seats it needs for an effective majority.

Midterms traditionally deliver a rejection of the party in power, and with inflation surging and Mr Biden’s popularity in the doldrums, Republicans had been expecting to ride a mighty “red wave” and capture the Senate and the House of Representatives.

But the wave never got much beyond a ripple.

The victory in Nevada clinches Democratic control in the Senate as Vice-President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote if the upper chamber is evenly split 50-50.

One Senate race remains in the air: a runoff in Georgia set for December.

The two parties had been neck-and-neck at 49 seats each after Democrat Mark Kelly was projected to win a tight Senate race in Arizona on Saturday Australian time.

The result in the House of Representatives is also hanging in the balance, and while Republicans are favoured to take control, it would be with a far smaller majority than they had envisaged going into Tuesday’s election.

In Arizona, Mr Kelly called for unity in a victory speech. “After a long election, it can be tempting to remain focused on the things that divide us,” he said.

“But we’ve seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on conspiracies of the past than solving the challenges that we face today.”

The former astronaut defeated challenger Blake Masters, who was backed by former president Donald Trump.

Mr Trump was omnipresent on the campaign trail and the Republicans’ poor national performance was a damaging political blow.

Mr Trump’s response to the Arizona result was to double down on unfounded claims of ballot rigging, posting on his Truth Social platform that the Democrat’s victory was a “scam” and the result of “voter fraud”.

He is set to declare his 2024 White House bid on Tuesday – an announcement he had planned as a triumphant follow-on to an expected crushing election victory by the party he still dominates.

The underwhelming outcome has prompted a bout of internal finger-pointing, with targets including Mr Trump, the party leaders, and the campaign messaging.

US media on Saturday cited a letter circulated by three Republican senators calling for the postponement of party leadership elections scheduled for the middle of this week.

“We are all disappointed that a Red Wave failed to materialise, and there are multiple reasons it did not,” the letter said.

“We need to have serious discussions within our conference as to why and what we can do to improve our chances in 2024.”

Some suggest Mr Trump’s early entry into the presidential race is designed to fend off possible criminal charges arising from multiple investigations into the final weeks of his presidency as well as his business affairs.

On Friday, his lawyers challenged a subpoena from the congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack last year on the US Capitol by his supporters.

The subpoena sought to have Mr Trump questioned under oath next week but the lawyers filed a lawsuit arguing he enjoyed “absolute immunity” as a former president from being compelled to testify before congress.

The subpoena is “invalid, unlawful, and unenforceable”, the lawsuit said.

AFP