-
Republicans are expected to regain the majority in the Senate, ending four years of Democratic control.
-
It’s not unexpected. The Democrats were mainly on the defensive thanks to a punishing electoral map.
-
With Trump expected to win, he will be able to appoint judges, including any vacancies on the Supreme Court.
According to Fox News and the Associated Press, Republicans are expected to regain control of the U.S. Senate after winning seats in West Virginia and Ohio, ending four years of Democratic control.
With former President Donald Trump almost certain to win the presidential election, this ensures that he will have the ability to make judicial appointments, including filling any vacancies on the Supreme Court.
The Democrats participated in the elections with a majority of 51 to 49. But Republicans effectively gained an additional seat when Senator Joe Manchin chose to retire to deep-red West Virginia, meaning the GOP only needed to win one more seat to regain the majority.
The Republican Party took that seat in Ohio, where Senator Sherrod Brown lost to Republican candidate Bernie Moreno. Republican incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer also defeated independent Dan Osborn in Nebraska.
Republicans also appeared likely to win a 52nd seat in Montana, where Sen. Jon Tester trailed Republican candidate Tim Sheehy.
It’s not entirely unexpected. Despite dramatically outpacing Republicans in many of this year’s tightest Senate races, Democrats faced a punishing schedule and found themselves mostly on the defensive.
In contrast, the past two cycles presented several revival opportunities for Democrats, and the party defied expectations by holding on to a majority in 2022.
Democrats remained locked in tight races in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin late on election night. Nevada and Arizona also saw competitive racing.
The Democrats’ best chances in the Senate were in Texas, where Republican Sen. Ted Cruz ultimately survived a tougher-than-expected challenge from Rep. Colin Allred.
It remains unclear who will control the House of Representatives next year as a number of key races remain to be decided as of early Wednesday morning.
Read the original article on Business Insider
