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Republicans take control of the Senate but face struggle to retain House majority
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Republicans take control of the Senate but face struggle to retain House majority

Republicans have gained control of the US Senate and are fighting to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives; This means he will have full power in Congress with Donald Trump in the White House.

Republicans’ unified dominance of Washington will determine the course of Mr. Trump’s agenda or, if Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives, provide an almost certain backstop with veto power over the White House.

Speaking at an election night party in Florida earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trump said the results provided an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans.

A map showing election results
(PA Graphics)

He called the Senate victory “incredible” and praised House Speaker Mike Johnson, who left his own party in Louisiana to join Mr. Trump.

In some races, vote counting could take days and it’s too early to take control of the House.

The Republican rally began in the early hours of election night in West Virginia, when the state’s wealthy governor, Jim Justice, flipped the seat of retired Sen. Joe Manchin.

Republicans unseated Sherrod Brown, the first senator to fall in Ohio, with luxury car dealer and blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno winning.

Sherrod Brown
Democrat Sherrod Brown fails to win another term in Ohio (Jeff Dean/AP)

The unlikely battleground state of Nebraska pushed Republicans over the winning line as incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer fended off a surprisingly strong challenge from independent newcomer Dan Osborn.

One of the most watched Senate races in Montana was decided early Wednesday.

Democrat Jon Tester, a popular three-term senator and “dirt farmer,” lost in the battle for his political career to wealthy Trump-backed former Navy Seal Tim Sheehy, who made derogatory comments about Native Americans, a key Western constituency. situation.

As a result, Senate Republicans have a chance to win more seats, potentially garnering their strongest majority in years.

The fight for control of the House of Representatives has become a fierce battle on a state-by-state basis, many of which are playing out away from the presidential race.

House races are centered in New York and California, where Democrats are trying to take back some of the roughly 10 seats where Republicans have made surprising gains in recent years.

Other House races are scattered throughout the country; the most contentious are in Maine, the “blue dot” around Omaha, Nebraska, and Alaska.

To gain control of the House of Representatives, Democrats need to wrest four seats from Republicans while retaining all seats; That’s a difficult task, especially in congressional districts won by Mr. Trump.

Only a handful or as few as one seat may be needed to determine control of the House of Representatives.

Voters elected two black women to the Senate; Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, who defeated Republican Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland.

Only three black women have served in the Senate, and never before have two black women served simultaneously.

And in New Jersey, Andy Kim became the first Korean American elected to the Senate. The seat opened when Bob Menendez resigned this year following his federal conviction on bribery charges.

In the House of Representatives, Democratic state congresswoman Sarah McBride from Delaware, who is close to the Biden family, became the first transgender person elected to Congress.

Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride becomes the first transgender person elected to Congress (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

It’s still unclear who will lead the new Republican Senate as longtime leader Mitch McConnell prepares to leave office.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the number two Republican, and Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who previously held the post, are front-runners to replace Mr. McConnell in secret ballot elections scheduled for senators to come to Washington next week.

Billions of dollars have been spent by parties and outside groups in the narrow battleground for both the 435-member House and the 100-member Senate.

If the two chambers actually exercise reverse party control, as much as possible, it will be rare.

Records show that if Democrats take the House of Representatives and Republicans take the Senate, the halls of Congress will turn to opposing political parties for the first time.