Joe Biden takes control of US Senate as another Donald Trump-backed candidate defeated
7 December 2022, 06:52 | Updated: 7 December 2022, 06:55
Joe Biden has kept control of the Senate after another Donald Trump-backed Republican candidate was defeated.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The president and his Democratic Party enjoyed a much better mid-term election than predicted.
Though they lost the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, they now have a 51-49 majority in the upper chamber, which has significant powers, especially when it comes to foreign policy and presidential appointments.
The Democrats' victory was confirmed overnight after a run-off election in Georgia.
Raphael Warnock beat Herschel Walker, a controversial candidate supported by Mr Trump. It suggests that the former president's grip on the Republican party is continuing to wane despite his attempts to make a comeback and run for president again in 2024.
It means, thanks to John Fetterman's win in Pennsylvania, the Democrats control the Senate. They would have done already in a 50-50 split as the vice president, Kamala Harris, would be allowed to cast deciding votes if the Senate is deadlocked.
Mr Warnock said he would work "with anyone to get things done for the people of Georgia".
Conceding the race in Georgia, Mr Walker said: "The numbers look like they're not going to add up.
"There's no excuses in life and I'm not going to make any excuses now because we put up one heck of a fight."
Mr Trump had taken part in a tele-rally for Mr Walker on Monday. A raft of candidates he had backed fared worse than their Republican colleagues in the mid-terms.
He is hoping to build momentum for a third crack at the White House, especially with a potentially serious Republican challenger, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, expected to run for the party's nomination ahead of 2024.
Mr Trump even called for the US constitution to be terminated as he continued to make baseless claims about electoral fraud.
On Tuesday, his company was found guilty of tax fraud in a New York court.
The Trump Organisation was found to have taken part in a scheme by top executives to avoid paying personal income taxes on job perks such as rent-free apartments and luxury cars.
