REPUBLICANS were on the brink of securing a majority in the US House of Representatives yesterday, while the contest for control of the Senate was too close to call as the final votes were counted.

The rightwingers secured 210 of the 435 seats up for grabs in the lower house of Congress by yesterday afternoon, while the Democrats followed with 192 seats in the mid-term elections.

In the Senate, the Republicans had 49 of the seats to 48 for the Democrats.