Senate race close, Trump prepares for ’24 prez bid

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’s Democrats edged closer to retaining control of the US Senate on Saturday, as Donald Trump prepared to declare his bid for the White House in 2024.

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly won re-election in Arizona, three television networks projected. His victory will give Democrats 49 Senate seats, one short of securing a majority.

Meanwhile, vote-counting in deeply-divided Nevada continued following Tuesday’s midterm elections and campaigning kicked off for a December 6 runoff in Georgia.

Blake Masters, Kelly’s Republican opponent in Arizona, did not immediately concede defeat, and late on Friday Trump claimed the result was “a scam and voter fraud”.

President Joe Biden phoned Kelly to congratulate him on his win, the White House said.

Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut, said he was “humbled” by voters who helped re-elect him.

If incumbent Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto manages to fend off Republican Adam Laxalt in Nevada, her party would then control 50 of the Senate’s 100 seats.

A Democratic victory in Georgia next month would then give the party outright majority control of a 51-49 Senate. A Democratic loss in Georgia and a win in Nevada would still put Democrats in charge of a 50-50 Senate, as Democratic VicePresident Kamala Harris can break tie votes.

Prez race

Donald Trump will announce next week that he is taking another shot at the presidency in 2024, his longtime adviser Jason Miller said on Friday.

The divisive former president, who will be 78 when the next election is held, has been hinting at another presidential run while campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of this week’s midterm elections, and said he will make a “very big announcement” on Tuesday.

Seats flipped

Trump’s big announcement in Florida will come after a disappointing run for several candidates he backed in the midterms, although more than 100 Republican candidates who challenged the 2020 presidential results still won their respective races.

Some of his hand-picked favourites, however, lost key Republican-held seats to Democrats. In Pennsylvania, Democrats flipped a US Senate seat with constant attacks on Trumpendorsed celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz.

Trump had hoped to ride a Republican “red wave” that would prime him for another presidential run but the party looks headed for a much smaller victory than had been predicted.

With 211 seats so far, Republicans appear poised to secure a slim majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives.

January 6 investigation

Also on Friday, Trump’s lawyers challenged a subpoena from the Congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters in 2021. They claimed he had “absolute immunity” and would not testify next week.

AFP US Senator Mark Kelly won his re-election from Arizona.