Republicans take control of U.S. Senate

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Republicans have won control of the Senate in the US mid-term elections, increasing its power in the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency, BBC News reports.

The party has already won five Senate seats - in Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia.

In Florida and Wisconsin, Republican governors have survived tough re-election battles.

The Republicans are also projected to strengthen their hold on the House.

One of the key early results came in Kentucky, where Republican Senate Minority Leader McConnell fended off Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, positioning himself to lead the chamber should the Republicans win the majority.

"I've heard your concerns, I've made them my own, you will be heard in Washington," he said. "When you get right down to it that's what this campaign was really all about. It's wasn't about me or my opponent. It was about a government that people can no longer trust."

As polls close across the country, early results indicate a number of both Democratic and Republican Senate incumbents have held onto their seats.

Projections show Republicans have retained seats in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Democrats have retained seats in Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. They have also held on to the key Senate seat of New Hampshire.

In Louisiana - a key state for the Republicans to win - the contest for the Senate will go to a run-off in December after the Democratic incumbent failed to win an outright majority.