The fate of the House of Representatives was still uncertain as Republicans tried to muster a slim majority there. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory over Republican challenger Adam Laxalt in Nevada gave Democrats the 50 seats they needed to retain control of the Senate. Her victory reflects the surprising strength of Democrats across the United States during Tuesday’s midterm elections. Seeking re-election in a financially troubled state that has some of the highest gas prices in the country, Cortez Masto was seen as the most vulnerable member of the Senate, adding to the frustration of Republicans who were confident she could be defeated. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer won Saturday night, tweeting, “Your Senate Democratic Majority!” The Democrats will have a majority in the Senate again! This election is a victory and vindication for Democrats, our agenda and achievements, and America and the American people. — @SenSchumer With the results in Nevada now decided, Georgia is the only state where both parties are still competing for a Senate seat. Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock faces Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Dec. 6 runoff. Alaska’s Senate race has moved to ranked-choice voting, though the seat will remain in Republican hands. Democratic control of the Senate ensures a smoother process for Biden’s cabinet appointments and judicial picks, including those for potential Supreme Court openings. The party would also retain control of committees and have the power to investigate or oversee the Biden administration, and would be able to reject legislation sent by the House if Republicans win that chamber. If Democrats manage to win the House, it would mean full control of Congress for Democrats — and another chance to advance Biden’s priorities, which he said include codifying abortion rights. The party still lacks the 60 votes in the Senate needed to advance many kinds of major legislative changes. The Senate race had hinged on a handful of hotly contested positions. Both parties spent tens of millions of dollars in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, the top battlegrounds where Democrats had hoped the Republicans’ decision to nominate untested candidates – many backed by former President Donald Trump – would it was helping them defy national headwinds. WATCHES | Republicans blame Trump for midterm results:
Republicans accuse Trump of lacking a “red wave” in the midterm elections
With control of the US Congress still hanging in the balance just days after this week’s midterm elections, many frustrated Republicans are pinning the blame on former President Donald Trump. Democrats scored a big win in Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was endorsed by Trump, to take a seat currently held by a Republican. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly won re-election by about five percentage points. A closely divided swing state, Nevada is one of the most racially divided in the nation, a working-class state whose residents have been hit particularly hard by inflation and other economic turmoil. About three-quarters of Nevada voters said the country is headed in the wrong direction and about half called the economy the most important issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of 2,100 state voters. Heading into the midterm elections, Republicans have focused relentlessly on the economy, a top concern for many voters amid stubborn inflation and high gas and food prices. The GOP also blasted Democrats on crime, a message that sometimes overstated the threat but nonetheless raised concern, particularly among suburban voters who drifted away from the party in 2018 and 2020. And they highlighted illegal border crossings , accusing Biden and other Democrats of failing to protect the country. An election official inspects a mail-in ballot in the counting room at the Clark County Election Precinct in North Las Vegas on Saturday. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun/The Associated Press) But Democrats were buoyed by voters angered by the Supreme Court’s June ruling overturning the constitutional right to abortion. They also portrayed Republicans as too extreme and a threat to democracy, following the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol and Trump’s false claims—repeated by many Republican candidates—that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Nationally, VoteCast showed that 7 in 10 voters said the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade was an important factor in their midterm decisions. It also showed that the coup was generally unpopular. And about six in 10 said they favor a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. Half of voters said inflation played a major role in their vote, while 44 percent said the future of democracy was a top concern. WATCHES | Several states vote to protect abortion:
Vermont, Michigan, California vote to protect abortion rights
Voters enshrined abortion rights in their state constitutions through ballots in Vermont, Michigan and California. (Results at 1:10) Abortion ballot measures in Montana and Kentucky were too close to call Wednesday morning. Beyond Congress, Democrats won key gubernatorial races in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — battlegrounds critical to Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020. Republicans, however, held governor’s mansions in Florida, Texas and Georgia — another battleground state that Biden narrowly won two years ago. Although the midterms failed to carry Republicans, Trump remains a major player in the national party and plans to announce his third bid for the presidency on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida — setting up a potential rematch for White House with Biden.
