Democrats win first Senate race in Virginia — Deutsche Welle

Results from the U.S. midterm elections to Congress have begun to come in: Democrats secured their first victory in the race for a Senate seat in Virginia. Overall, Americans elected all 435 members of the House of Representatives and representatives to 35 Senate seats, while voters in 36 states also voted for governors.

Before Election Day, Republicans, together with independent senators who vote with them, held 53 of the Senate's 100 seats. In the House of Representatives, they controlled 220 of 435 seats — just two more than the 218 seats needed for a majority, Deutsche Welle reports.

Battle for Congress

Voting results are coming in gradually across the United States' six time zones. Deutsche Welle notes that it relies on Associated Press data to declare winners in electoral districts.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

If Democrats gain a majority in one or both chambers of Congress, it will be more difficult for President Donald Trump to implement his political agenda, as a significant portion of federal decisions requires lawmakers' approval.

Voter sentiment

Data on voter demographics and attitudes are based on a representative survey of more than 75,000 verified voters conducted by SSRS for the Associated Press and other media outlets. It included those who voted early or by mail, as well as exit polls on Election Day, November 3.

According to exit polls, half of voters viewed the midterm elections as an opportunity to express disapproval of the president. Three-quarters of respondents said they felt anger or dissatisfaction with the direction in which the country is moving. The level of dissatisfaction was high in states that lean Democratic, including California and Massachusetts, but a majority of voters were at least dissatisfied in states dominated by Republicans as well.