Republicans take 12 Senate races, Democrats 6, in hunt for US Senate control

WASHINGTON

Republicans have taken 12 Senate seats in the battle to claim control of the US Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, compared to six for Democrats, with over half of all races called.

This year's election cycle saw 35 seats in the 100-member Senate go up for election, the vast majority of which -- 21 -- are held by Republican incumbents. But the Senate is currently evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, greatly increasing the importance of each seat for both parties.

In all, 18 races have been called by the Associated Press with Tuesday evening quickly winding down.

So far, Republicans have won 12 contests across 11 states. Oklahoma had one seat up for special election in addition to the one held by incumbent Sen. James Lankford, which was up for election based on the Senate's normal six-year election cycle.

Lankford defeated Democratic challenger Madison Horn, according to an Associated Press projection. Markwayne Mullin, a pro-Trump congressman and businessman who is now slated to become the first Native American in the US Senate in two decades, also claimed victory in his special election.

Republicans also won or maintained Senate seats in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina and South Dakota.

Democrats, meanwhile, won a key seat in Colorado where incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet was in a tightly-contested race against businessman Joe O’Dea. The party also defended seats in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Vermont.

There are about 10 Senate races across the country that could prove pivotal in determining whether Republicans or Democrats lay claim to the chamber, including in Georgia, where incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock is trailing his Republican opponent, former American football star Herschel Walker, by 0.6%, according to RealClearPolitics.

Results in any number of races are unlikely to be known on Election Day, and tightly watched races such as those in Georgia and Pennsylvania could take days to determine, given how tight they are. Pennsylvania in particular has sought to throw cold water on expectations for a quick result, saying it could take days to tabulate the expected deluge of votes.

Some states also have a significant backlog of absentee or mail-in votes which, depending on the local rules, cannot begin to be counted before Election Day.

While international attention will remain focused on top-line congressional races, further down the ballot, voters will weigh in on a series of state and local campaigns, from governors' races to ballot initiatives such as marijuana legalization, and more mundane but nonetheless important races for local offices.