Donald Trump suffered his third electoral setback in a matter of weeks after Democrat John Bel Edwards was re-elected as governor of Louisiana.

Mr Edwards secured his place as the lone Democrat governor in the Deep South despite intense campaigning from the US president, who visited the state on several occasions.

The Republican defeat came within days of the party losing the gubernatorial race in Kentucky where the incumbent, Matt Bevin, was ousted by Democrat, Andy Beshear, by a wafer-thin margin of just over 5,000 votes.

Republicans also lost control of the Virginia legislature, leaving the Democrats in full control of the state’s government for the first time in a generation.

The results in Kentucky, Louisiana and Virginia are likely to alarm GOP strategists, suggesting that Mr Trump is losing support in the suburbs, which are seen as pivotal in next November’s presidential election.

A similar trend was noticed in other local elections, including on the outskirts of Philadelphia - in the key swing state of Pennsylvania.

In Louisiana, Mr Trump had thrown his full weight behind Eddie Rispone, a businessman who had campaigned on the president’s record in the Oval Office.