WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Republican Party on Tuesday managed to maintain a Senate majority in the 2018 midterm elections, according to projections from multiple U.S. news outlets.

Starting from 42 seats, the Republican Party has been declared the winner in at least eight Senate races, including previously considered toss-up races in the states of Indiana, Tennessee and Texas.

As vote counts continue in a number of other Senate races, the Republican Party may continue to win more seats in the upper chamber of Congress, further solidifying their edge.

The Democratic Party fell short of their goal to claim a Senate majority partly due to the large number of seats they had to defend, some of which were in deep red states that voted overwhelmingly for U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016.

With their renewed majority in the Senate, the Republican Party holds on to the power to confirm crucial government official nominees, including Supreme Court Justices and cabinet members.