US election: Control of Congress hangs in balance after midterms

Republicans and Democrats are in a tight race for control of the US Congress, a day after the midterms.

With votes still being counted, Republicans are favourites to win the House of Representatives, but the fight for the Senate is on a knife-edge.

Democrats have gained a key Senate seat in Pennsylvania, but two other contests remain too close and one is heading for a run-off vote next month.

The economy and abortion were the biggest concerns for voters.

Though this should have benefitted Republicans, they have not seen the "red wave" of victories they had hoped for.

The US Congress is made up of two parts - the House of Representatives and the Senate. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate were up for grabs. Members of the House represent their local populations and Senators represent the interests of their states.

Although President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is not on the ballot, the midterms will shape the fate of his agenda. If Democrats lose control of either the House or the Senate, Republicans will be able to block his plans.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Biden said Tuesday's election had been "a good day for democracy" in America. In the run-up to the vote, he had warned that Republicans - who fielded a number of candidates who amplified false claims that the last presidential election was rigged - were a threat to democracy.

In one of the most closely watched Senate races, left-wing Democrat John Fetterman - who has been recovering from a stroke - beat Trump-backed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.

Another critical Senate race, between Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia, is headed to a run-off in four weeks as neither candidate secured more than 50% of the vote.

The results of other key Senate races in Arizona and Nevada are also still in play. The BBC's US partner CBS News says Arizona is leaning Democrat, but Nevada remains a toss-up, with more votes being tallied.

It means that the verdict on which party holds power in the upper chamber of Congress may not be known for days, or even weeks.

Elections for state governors also took place in several states. Republicans have held on to the governors' mansions in the key states of Texas, Florida and Georgia.

Mr Trump, who is expected to announce he will run for president in 2024, has also seen some of his endorsed candidates fail.

However, on Wednesday he said that "while in certain ways yesterday's election was somewhat disappointing, from my personal standpoint it was a very big victory".

Traditionally, the party of the president does badly in US midterms. Despite lowering prescription drug prices, expanding clean energy and revamping US infrastructure, Mr Biden's popularity has taken a pummelling amid the worst inflation in four decades.

But Republicans had their own political vulnerability on the issue of abortion following the conservative-dominated Supreme Court's decision this year to roll back a US constitutional right to the procedure.

On Tuesday, voters in Vermont, California and Michigan decided to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions, preventing any future bid by the legislature to introduce restrictions.

Meanwhile, Kentucky rejected a constitutional amendment that would have said there was no right to abortion. But the result won't automatically reverse the state's current legislation, which almost entirely prohibits it.

What questions do you have about the US midterms?

In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.

Use this form to ask your question:

If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or send them via email to [email protected]. Please include your name, age and location with any question you send in.