Democrat Jon Ossoff, seen as a possible candidate in the 2028 presidential elections, has retained his US Senate seat in the southern state of Georgia, media projections showed.

The win does not represent a gain of a seat in the 100-member Senate, but is nevertheless good news for the Democrats.

NBC News and CBS News called the race in Ossoff's favour over Republican Mike Collins.

Democrats are expected to seize the House and potentially the Senate, threatening to shatter Donald Trump's grip on Washington and curtail his power for the rest of his presidency.

Republicans losing the House would give Democrats the power to stall Trump's legislative agenda and launch sweeping investigations of his administration. A Senate defeat would also threaten his ability to appoint Supreme Court justices and senior officials.

The election amounts to a nationwide judgment on Trump at a time when the mood is turning sharply against Republicans over soaring living costs and the war against Iran.

All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats were at stake, along with governorships in 36 states. Democrats need only three House gains and a net four seats in the Senate to wrest both chambers from Republican hands.

As the first polls began closing in Kentucky and Indiana, House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters in Washington that the country was "on the brink of a dramatic change of direction."

"We're on the brink of Democrats taking back control of the House of Representatives," he predicted.

Trump returned to office last year promising to bring down prices, but inflation, tariffs and fuel costs inflated by the Middle East conflict that he launched have squeezed Americans.

The 80-year-old's approval rating has hovered near the low 30s, making him one of the most unpopular presidents in history.

Taylor Cook, a Los Angeles voter, told AFP that affordability and reining in the Trump administration were the two biggest election issues.

"Rent, groceries, utility bills, and property taxes keep climbing, and I want people in Congress who will actually do something about costs," the 24-year-old said. (AFP)



Edited by Altis Wong