With Deb Fischer's victory in Nebraska, the Republican Party has officially won control of the U.S. Senate, securing 51 seats (at least)—an outright majority. Flipping the Senate is a huge deal for the GOP tonight, as Trump appears to be favored to win the presidency.
Decision Desk HQ projects that Republicans have won enough seats to control the United States Senate.#DecisionMade: 11:58pm ET
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 6, 2024
Follow live results here: https://t.co/RpCLBvuTZM pic.twitter.com/u6nKtGyhuY
The first big win for the GOP was West Virginia, where Jim Justice won the seat currently held by Joe Manchin.
Decision Desk HQ projects Jim Justice (R) wins the US Senate election in West Virginia.#DecisionMade: 7:30 PM EDT
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 6, 2024
Follow live results here:https://t.co/Hm5qPD7olf pic.twitter.com/7QHIExbgPs
Donald Trump was able to pull Bernie Moreno across the finish line in Ohio. This is a huge flip for the GOP, as Moreno spent most of the election trailing Brown in the polls. In fact, he never led in FiveThirtyEight's polling average.
Decision Desk HQ projects Bernie Moreno (R) wins the US Senate election in Ohio.#DecisionMade: 10:50 PM EDT
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 6, 2024
Follow live results here:https://t.co/IWJYuBuYFK pic.twitter.com/HdRucpiJfK
There are still a number of states that haven't been called yet, so we don't know officially how big of a majority the Republicans will have, but they will have the majority. We're still waiting on Arizona at publishing time, where Ruben Gallego is widely expected to win, but some recent polls showed Kari Lake pulling ahead. We'll have to wait see about that.
In Texas, Democrats once again failed to oust Sen. Ted Cruz.
Decision Desk HQ projects Ted Cruz (R) wins the US Senate election in Texas.#DecisionMade: 10:24 PM EDT
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 6, 2024
Follow live results here:https://t.co/NLvXvTsXuW pic.twitter.com/PyquLkCFl0
In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin has long been favored to win against former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers.
Republicans officially winning control of the Senate is huge news. As we await official results of the presidential election, we at least know that if somehow Kamala Harris somehow pulls off a stunning come-from-behind victory, there will be a significant check on her. Had Democrats kept a majority in the Senate, Harris, if she were to win the election, which doesn't look likely at this point, and her allies would certainly target the filibuster, which she has already said she’d eliminate to push through policies like the Green New Deal. This same majority could also reignite Democratic ambitions to make D.C. and Puerto Rico states, securing additional Democratic seats in Congress.
The last thing we needed was for her administration to have free rein. When Democrats last controlled the House, Senate, and White House under Joe Biden, they moved quickly to consolidate their power. They’ve consistently looked to the courts to advance their agenda, and under Biden, efforts to pack the Supreme Court resurfaced. Although his commission ultimately dismissed the idea, his administration remained focused on “reforming” the judiciary—a mission Harris would likely carry forward.
However, at the moment, it looks good for Donald Trump to win the presidency, which means that he'll take office with a majority in the Senate, giving him the ability to confirm judicial nominees and potentially get another two Supreme Court justices.
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