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Millions of American voters went to the polls in midterm elections yesterday with the Republicans poised to celebrate victory and confident they will take control of the Senate.
Recent polls show Republicans pulling ahead of President Barack Obama's Democrats in the battle for power in Washington, despite the races in Alaska and North Carolina remaining very close.
But the nation may still have to wait until next month or even early next year to learn who controls the chamber after yesterday's vote.

Republican leaders expressed confidence in the home stretch of one of the most consequential midterm elections in years.
Democrats hold a 10-seat Senate advantage, with 55 members to 45.
If Republicans take a net six seats Obama will spend his last two years in office facing a hostile Congress.
"We intend to be a responsible governing Republican majority if the American people give us a chance to do that," Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell told ABC News.
The veteran politician is locked in a tight race in Kentucky with resilient Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, but two weekend polls showed McConnell extending his lead.
"The wind is at our backs," Senator Rand Paul, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, told CNN on Sunday. "I think people are ready for new leadership."
Republicans have hammered home their message that a vote for Democrats is a vote for an unpopular Obama and his policies, in particular his still unpopular health care reform.
Republicans already hold the House of Representatives, where all 435 seats are in play, and forecasters predict they will gain seats. Three top forecasters now give Republicans between a 70 per cent and 77 per cent chance of winning the Senate.
But however successful the Republicans are, a complete picture may not emerge immediately. There are strong prospects for run-offs in Louisiana and Georgia, where rules require a second round if winners do not earn more than 50 per cent of the vote.

A tight race in Alaska could also delay matters.
Louisiana's run-off is on December 6, but a Georgia run-off would be on January 6, three days after the start of the new Congress.
An incumbent president's party historically fares badly in elections in the middle of his second term, and yesterday was expected to be no different.
With Republican voters showing greater enthusiasm, Obama warned Democrats they could not afford to stay home.
"There is no excuse for us to just give away our power," Obama said at a rally in Philadelphia. "You all have to vote. That's what this comes down to."
 


	Californian Democrats in US$30m battle for state school supremo job
Perhaps the most important - and definitely the most expensive - election in California being decided yesterday was for state school superintendent. The US$30 million race has generated three times as much spending as the contest for governor.
Both combatants - incumbent Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck - are Democrats, and their fight over the role of public and charter schools embodies a major party divide over education.
Torlakson, 65, backed by the teachers' union, is arguing for heavier investment in public schools. He says charter schools, publicly funded but operating independently, need greater oversight. Tuck, 41, is receiving support from well-heeled donors behind the national charter school movement, and the effort to weaken teacher tenure.
The Washington Post


Republicans confident they will seize control of US Senate in midterm polls

Voters cast their ballots in Albany, in the state of New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo is bidding for a second term against Republican Rob Astorino. Photo: The Washington Post

Residents in Arlington, Virginia, are up bright and early to cast their votes. Photo: EPA

Republican Mitch McConnell greets supporters in Louisville, Kentucky, where victory will likely give him the title of Senate majority leader. Photo: AP

A book by Ronald Reis explains the complexities of American elections. Photo: The Washington Post

A book by Ronald Reis explains the complexities of American elections, while former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton (below left) lends her support to Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu in New Orleans, Louisiana and supporters of Republican Senate challenger Dan Sullivan hold signs during a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, ahead of yesterday's midterm polls.Photos: The Washington Post, AFP

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton (left) lends her support to Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo: AFP

Supporters of Republican Senate challenger Dan Sullivan hold signs during a rally in Anchorage, Alaska, ahead of yesterday's midterm polls. Photo: AFP

Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan (centre) speaks on stage during a campaign rally with (from left) Alaska First Lady Sandy Parnell, Alaska Gov. Dan Parnell, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Crawford Patkotak in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: AFP

Voters queue to cast their ballots in midterm elections yesterday at a polling station located at a fire station, in Arlington, Virginia. Voters are increasingly disillusioned with Washington as they vote to elect senators and members of the House of Representatives. Photo: EPA

The good, bad and bizarre: Some unusual US election candidates

Republican US Senator-elect Joni Ernst and Republican Congressman Michael Grimm speak after being elected in the US midterm elections in Iowa and New York respectively. Photos: AFP, Reuters

Republican US Senator-elect Joni Ernst thanks her supporters after she won the Senate race on election night at the Marriott Hotel November 4, 2014 in West Des Moines, Iowa. Photo: AFP

Republican Congressman Michael Grimm speaks after being re-elected in the US midterm elections in Staten Island, New York, November 4, 2014.  Photo: Reuters

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But with several races too close to call, it could be weeks before makeup of Senate is settled


Millions of American voters went to the polls in midterm elections with the Republicans poised to celebrate victory and confident they will take control of the Senate.


Republicans confident they will seize control of US Senate in midterm polls

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}But with several races too close to call, it could be weeks before makeup of Senate is settled

But with several races too close to call, it could be weeks before makeup of Senate is settled