Crushing blow to Trump; Democrats Retain control of US Senate

New York: In a crushing blow to former President Donald Trump and his party, Democrats will be retaining control of the Senate after a candidate backed by him lost the Senate race in Nevada.

With the victory of Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto over Republican Adam Laxalt declared Saturday night, the Democratic Party will have at least 50 senators in the 100-member chamber and with Vice President Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote to command a majority.

There is still one Senate race pending in Georgia, where a runoff will be held next month, and even if the Republicans win it the chamber will be split 50-50 with Harris tilting the balance.

The midterms usually deliver a trend against the party in power. But defying all the predictions of Republican victory Democrats attained the seats required for an effective majority.

The Republicans, whose expectations of a "red wave" turned into a ripple, still have a chance at getting control of the House of Representatives, but they suffered a setback when it was announced Saturday that their candidate lost a House seat that they had held for over a decade in Washington State.

With 22 results pending, they now have a nine-seat lead in the 435-member House where 218 seats are needed for a majority.

IANS with Inputs