If incumbent Democratic Sen. Kathryn Cortez Masto manages to fend off Republican Adam Laxalt in Nevada, her party would then control 50 of the Senate’s 100 seats. A Democratic victory in Georgia next month would then give the party full control of a 51-49 Senate majority. A Democratic loss in Georgia and a win in Nevada would still put Democrats in command of a 50-50 Senate, as Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris can break the tie. The Senate is currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. The newly elected Senate will be sworn in on January 3. With nearly 97% of the vote counted in the Nevada Senate race, Laxalt was leading by about 800 votes. However, countless votes from the strongholds of Cortez Masto could clinch her victory. The suspense over Senate control came as it was also unknown which party would hold the majority in the US House of Representatives for the next two years. Republicans continued to hold an advantage, but returns were still pouring in for several races, including several in liberal-leaning California. It could take at least a few more days to know the outcome of several House races that will determine the party’s control of the 435-seat chamber. Democrats received a major boost late Friday when Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly was projected to retain his Arizona seat, defeating Republican Blake Masters, who has yet to concede the race. Kelly, a former Navy fighter pilot and astronaut, delivered a brief victory speech to supporters in Phoenix on Saturday with his wife, former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, by his side. His remarks focused on working in Congress in a bipartisan manner. Kelly did not mention Masters, but said: “We have seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on past conspiracies than solving the challenges we face today.” In Tuesday’s midterm elections, many Republican candidates, including Masters, are echoing former President Donald Trump’s false claim that he lost the 2020 election to Biden because of massive voter fraud. No winner is yet in sight in Arizona’s governor’s race, where Democrat Katie Hobbs maintains a narrow lead over Republican Kari Lake. (Live election results from across the country are here) JUDICIAL CANDIDATES ARE OPENING A Democratic-controlled Senate would provide President Joe Biden with insurance that his nominees to fill dozens of federal judgeships will win confirmation under the guidance of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. That would be especially critical for Democrats if a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, which now has a 6-3 conservative tilt, opens up in the final two years of Biden’s term. When the outgoing Senate returns Monday for a post-election work session that could last until late December, Schumer aims to immediately confirm two more federal judges awaiting final votes. But if Cortez Masto can’t get past Laxalt and Democrats also lose in Georgia, Schumer will have to spend much more time pursuing judicial nominations before stepping down on Jan. 3, after which Senate Republicans they will have the ability to either reject or slow down confirmation of the Biden candidates. Hovering over the 2022 midterm elections all year is Trump, who has used his continued popularity among far-right conservatives to influence the GOP’s race-based candidates for Congress, the state and local government. With Republicans underperforming Tuesday — even if they win narrow majority control in either the Senate or the House — Trump has been accused of boosting candidates who were unable to appeal to a broad enough electorate. Both Laxalt and Herschel Walker, the Republican vying to unseat Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia, won Trump’s endorsement. Republican losses in either of those two races could further dent Trump’s popularity as advisers say he is considering announcing a third run for the presidency in 2024. House Republicans, if they can pull off a victory, they have vowed to try to reverse Biden’s victories, fights climate change and wants to make permanent a series of tax cuts that expire in 2017. They have also planned investigations into the activities of the Biden administration and investigations into the president’s son, who has had business dealings with Ukraine and China. Reporting by Tim Reid and Richard Cowan. Editor: Daniel Wallis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
