The Republican Party secured control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday with significant victories in West Virginia and Ohio, ensuring that Donald Trump’s party will govern at least one chamber of Congress in the upcoming year. Early results also indicated that Republicans were making strides in their bid to retain control of the House of Representatives.
These Senate victories will enable Republicans to support Trump’s potential judicial appointments and government nominations if he wins the presidency. Alternatively, they could obstruct Democrat Kamala Harris’s agenda should she prevail in the presidential race.
Jim Justice, a Republican, was projected to win an open Senate seat in West Virginia, succeeding Joe Manchin, who switched from Democrat to independent. In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno was forecasted to defeat the incumbent Democrat, Sherrod Brown. These outcomes assured Republicans a minimum 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the possibility of further gains as other competitive races’ results come in.
In the House, Republicans achieved several wins that could bolster their current 220-212 majority, though the final tally might not be clear for several days. They secured a Democratic-held district in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, and gained seats in North Carolina, benefiting from redrawn district boundaries. Conversely, Democrats captured a Republican-held seat in upstate New York and a seat in Alabama, which had been redrawn to establish a Black majority district as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court. Democrats now need to flip at least six seats to gain control of the 435-seat House.
In Delaware, voters made history by electing Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress, a Democrat. As with the presidential election, a small fraction of competitive House races will determine the overall outcome, with fewer than 40 truly contested seats.
Republicans could further extend their Senate majority with potential wins in Montana, where Democrat Jon Tester is facing a tough reelection campaign, and in various competitive Midwestern states. However, achieving the 60-vote supermajority required to advance most legislation seems unlikely.
In Texas, incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz was projected to secure reelection, overcoming Democrat Colin Allred. In Nebraska, Republican Senator Deb Fischer was leading against a strong independent challenger, Dan Osborn, whose Senate alignment remains uncertain if he wins.
The Senate is set to have two Black women serving simultaneously for the first time, as Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester won in Delaware, and projections indicate that Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will win in Maryland.
The final outcome for the House remains uncertain. Analysts suggest that Democrats could potentially gain enough seats to take control, but there is no indication of a significant “wave” election as seen in 2018 or 2010. With each party securing at least 200 safe seats, the winning party is expected to have a narrow majority, which may complicate governance. Recent Republican infighting has already led to failed votes, leadership struggles, and hindered efforts to reduce spending and tighten immigration controls. Tight races in New York and California, heavily Democratic states, could ultimately decide House control, with the final outcome possibly taking several days to determine due to California’s lengthy ballot counting process.
Frances Ibiefo
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