ELECTION UPDATE: Democrats retain Senate majority

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats retained their Senate majority Tuesday, losing five seats but winning key races in West Virginia and California..

Republicans scored big gains, taking Senate seats from Democrats in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arkansas, North Dakota and Indiana. The net gain of 10 they needed for control of the chamber, however, eluded them.

With Republicans taking over the House, President Barack Obama will need a Democratic-run Senate to champion his legislative agenda.

Veteran Democratic Sens. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas lost their re-election bids.

But West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin held off millionaire Republican John Raese to keep a Democrat in the seat held for half a century by the late Robert C. Byrd. And Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., won a fourth term despite a spirited challenge from Republican Carly Fiorina.

Those victories left Republicans no way to take the majority. They possibly could achieve a 50-50 split. But Vice President Joe Biden, the Senate’s official president, would break ties in the Democrats’ favor.