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WASHINGTON, Nov. 7-- Preliminary results of the U.S. midterm elections suggest that the newly elected Congress will be split between the Democratic and Republican parties, as voting ended early Wednesday. Voting in parts of the state of Alaska ended 8 p.m. local time (0600 GMT), wrapping up one of the most watched midterm elections in modern U.S. history. According to projections from U.S. media outlets, the Republican Party has solidified its grip on the Senate, while the Democratic Party retook control of the House of Representatives after eight years in the minority. With votes still being counted in the early hours of Wednesday and the Senate special election in Mississippi entering a run-off slated for late November, the exact allocation of seats is yet to be determined in both chambers of Congress. The split result, widely anticipated in pre-voting polls, gave both parties reasons to celebrate. U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the election was a "tremendous success," while the leader of House Democrats Nancy Pelosi pledged to exercise "checks and balances" on the Trump administration. The political polarization in recent years energized voters in both camps, as early voting numbers and the financial donations given to both political parties and their nominees shattered records. According to surveys, top vote-swaying issues include Medicare, immigration and the economy. This year's midterms yielded a number of firsts in U.S. history, including the first openly gay governor, the first Muslim and Native American congresswomen, the youngest member of Congress, and the first female Senator representing the state of Tennessee and the first female governor of South Dakota. | 
