Republicans have seized control of the US Senate after flipping Democratic-held seats, wresting away the majority for the first time in four years. The unexpected battleground of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the top. Incumbent Senator Deb Fischer brushed back a surprisingly strong challenge from independent newcomer Dan Osborn.
Democrats watched their efforts to salvage their slim majority slip out of reach as tallies rolled in across a map that favoured Republicans. Early in the night, Republicans flipped one seat in West Virginia, with the election of Jim Justice, who easily replaced retiring Senator Joe Manchin. Democratic efforts to oust firebrand Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida collapsed.
While Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide in almost 30 years, Colin Allred, a Dallas-area congressman and former NFL linebacker, positioned himself as a moderate and leaned into his support for reproductive rights amid Texas' abortion ban, which is one of the strictest in the nation. Mr Cruz's victory came after Democratic efforts to salvage their Senate majority evaporated when Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio lost his re-election to Republican Bernie Moreno, a wealthy Trump-era newcomer. Mr Brown's loss to Mr Moreno, an immigrant from Bogota, Colombia, who built a fortune as a luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur, put the Democrats on the edge of losing Senate control.
A three-term senator, he was the first incumbent to lose re-elect.