Democrats are projected to flip control of the US Senate after winning several key races in battleground states, securing control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm polls, election forecasting agency Decision Desk HQ said late Tuesday.
As of press time, Democrats had secured 228 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives, while the Republicans won 139. Democrats surpassed the 218 seats required for a majority, ending Republican control of the chamber.
In the Senate, Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held seats, exceeding the four-seat net gain needed to secure a majority, according to Reuters and The Associated Press.
When asked about the US midterm elections at a regular news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the midterms were the US' domestic affair.
China stands ready to continue working with the US to uphold and deliver on the important common understandings reached by the two heads of state, enhance communication, properly manage differences, expand cooperation, and build a constructive relationship of strategic stability on the basis of respect, fairness and reciprocity, Mao said.
The Democratic victories extended into traditionally conservative states such as Kansas — which hasn't elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century — Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. The party also held on to battleground seats in Georgia and Michigan.
In Texas, Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to be elected to a US Senate seat from the state since 1988.
Democratic victories extended to gubernatorial contests, with Keisha Lance Bottoms winning in Georgia, Amy Acton in Ohio, Rob Sand in Iowa and Gina Hinojosa in Texas, flipping GOP-held offices.
In the House, Democrats flipped Republican-held districts in states including North Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Republican efforts to redraw congressional boundaries also failed to prevent Democratic victories in several districts.
The results reflected widespread frustration with the rising cost of living, including gasoline, groceries and healthcare prices, as well as public opposition to the US war with Iran.
Voters nationwide were in the mood for change, according to The AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters felt "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the direction of the country.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 48 percent of registered voters identified cost of living as their most important electoral concern, compared with 26 percent who cited democratic norms and 13 percent immigration.
Preliminary exit polling indicated that most voters opposed the decision to take military action against Iran, although economic concerns remained more prominent.
Liu Le, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' National Institute of International Strategy, said the election results are likely to have far-reaching implications for US domestic and foreign policy in the coming years.
He said that partisan tensions in Washington are likely to deepen. A Democratic-controlled Congress could significantly constrain the legislative agenda of US President Donald Trump, while Democrats are expected to step up congressional investigations and scrutiny of the administration.
On the foreign policy front, the Trump administration could pursue a more assertive approach to shore up his domestic political standing amid mounting pressure at home, Liu said.
Agencies contributed to this story.
