Key points
- Democratic US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has won the seat of Nevada.
- This means the Democratic party will control the Senate next year.
- Ms Cortez Masto defeated Adam Laxalt, who was endorsed by Donald Trump.
Joe Biden says he is "incredibly pleased" with the turnout in the US election after Democrats clinched control of the Senate, a major victory for the president as he looks to his next two years in office.
Speaking to reporters in Cambodia ahead of an East Asia Summit, Mr Biden said the turnout was a reflection of the quality of candidates his party was fielding, after Senator Catherine Cortez Masto was projected to win re-election in Nevada, narrowly beating Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.
A Democratic victory in a Georgia runoff next month would then give the party outright majority control of a 51-49 Senate, while a Georgia defeat would still keep Democrats in charge of a 50-50 Senate, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris able to break tie votes. The additional seat would mean Democrats could spare a vote on key nominations and bills.
"We're focusing now on Georgia. We feel good about where we are. And I know I'm a cockeyed optimist. I understand that," Mr Biden told reporters. "Again, I'm not surprised by the turnout. I'm incredibly pleased. And I think it's a reflection of the quality of our candidates."
If Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock were to win the 6 December Georgia runoff election against Republican challenger Herschel Walker, that would expand Democrats' majority to 51-49. That, in turn, would give Democrats an additional edge in passing a limited number of controversial bills that are allowed to advance with a simple majority of votes, instead of the 60 needed for most legislation.
Currently, Democratic Senators Joe Manchin in West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona are "swing" votes who have blocked or delayed some of Mr Biden's major initiatives, including expansions of some social programs.
But with 51 Democratic seats in the Congress that convenes next year, Mr Manchin's and Ms Sinema's influence could be slightly diluted.
Control of the House of Representatives has still not been decided. Mr Biden acknowledged such a victory would be "a stretch" for the Democrats, but Republicans have fallen well short of predictions they would sweep to power in Washington.
Mr Biden had framed the midterm election as a test of US democracy at a time when hundreds of Republican candidates embraced former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Mr Trump has repeatedly used his appeal among hard-right conservatives to influence candidates nominated by the Republican Party for congressional, gubernatorial and local races.
He has, however, been blamed for boosting candidates who were unable to appeal to a broad enough electorate, resulting in a lacklustre performance for the Republicans.
The results have also signalled exhaustion with the kind of chaos fomented by the Republican former president, raising questions about the viability of his possible 2024 White House run.
Mr Laxalt, who lost in Nevada, was a former state attorney-general endorsed by Mr Trump.
Mr Biden told reporters the elections showed the Republican Party "is going to have to decide who they are".
Some Republicans expressed discontent as they faced at least another two years in the minority. "The old party is dead. Time to bury it. Build something new," Senator Josh Hawley tweeted.
Judicial nominations at stake
A Democratic-controlled Senate would provide insurance to Mr Biden that his nominees to fill dozens of federal judge-ships would win confirmation under the guidance of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
That would be particularly crucial to Democrats if a seat on the US Supreme Court, which now has a 6-3 conservative bent, were to open up in the final two years of Mr Biden's term.
When the outgoing Senate returns on Monday for a post-election work session that could run until late December, Mr Schumer aims to immediately confirm two more federal judges awaiting final votes.
