The Senate has been decided
Image: NBC News
Incumbent Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly (AZ) and Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) officially defeated their Republican challengers over the weekend, ensuring Democrats will retain a majority in the upper chamber.
🏛️ More details… With the two victories, Democrats now have 50 Senate seats compared to 49 for Republicans. With VP Kamala Harris as the potential tie-breaking vote, this means Dems will keep control over Senate committees and the power to conduct investigations or oversight of the Biden administration.
- A Dec. 6 runoff election in Georgia will decide whether Democrats will gain a seat compared to the chamber’s 50-50 pre-election split.
🏠Meanwhile, in the House… Republicans are currently favored to win a narrow majority, but it hinges on nearly twenty races yet-to-be-called. The GOP has officially won 212 House seats compared to 204 for Democrats, per APNews, with a total of 218 needed to secure control of the chamber.
- Of the 19 races still not called, 6 were led by Republicans, 8 were led by Democrats, and 5 were toss-ups, per the NY Times. Results in several competitive races are expected to take days or weeks to be finalized.
đź‘Ť The Trump effect: In the Senate, candidates endorsed by former President Trump lost close races in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. Though others secured narrow victories in Ohio, North Carolina, and Wisconsin (plus Georgia is still up for grabs).
- In the House, all five Trump-endorsed candidates in toss-up races – as rated by the Cook Political Report – ended up losing.
đź“Š Flash poll: How do you feel about the midterm election results so far?
See a 360° view of what the media is saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that the midterm results show voters rewarded congressional Dems for their successes on a wide range of issues, including Covid, infrastructure, drug prices, and student loan debt.
- Others contend that the election results prove that now is a golden era of the Democratic Party after they defied history and maintained control of the Senate.
- “Democrats Just Held the Senate. Here’s What We Do Next.” –Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
- “Democrats in Array? It’s Hard to Deny After the Midterms” –Francis Wilkinson, Bloomberg
- “Forget DeSantis. Whitmer and Shapiro are defining the future.” –E.J. Dionne Jr., WaPo
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that Republicans lost the Senate by failing to appeal to Independents with a series of less-than-stellar candidates representing the GOP in key swing states.
- Others contend that the blame for Republicans not performing well in the midterms rests largely on former President Trump, whose endorsement actually proved harmful to candidates in battleground states.
- “The GOP’s Lost Independents” –WSJ Editorial Board
- “The Trump Excuses That Don’t Work” –Rich Lowry, National Review
- “Bore! Donald Trump has gone and lost his swing” –Michael Goodwin, NY Post
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