Republicans appeared keen to maintain control of the US Senate on Wednesday, after Senator Susan Collins defied political odds to win reelection in Maine and other Republican rulers led Democrats in a handful of indecisive races.
Democrats, who had been favored to win the majority in the Senate heading into Tuesday’s election, had a net gain of just one seat to show Wednesday afternoon as their options for further raises decreased, despite a huge Democratic monetary advantage in the final weeks of the Campaign.
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Republicans currently hold a majority of 53-47 seats in the Senate. To win control, Democrats would need to win three seats filled by Republicans if Democrat Joe Biden wins the White House and Senator Kamala Harris becomes vice president with the Senate vote breaking the tie. If Biden loses to Republican President Donald Trump, Democrats would need four seats.
Four Senate elections remained undecided as of Wednesday night. Republican rulers led in three: Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Democratic Senator Gary Peters defeated Republican John James in Michigan, according to network and Edison Research projections.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Congressional Republican who won re-election Tuesday, discussed the possibility of retaining his leadership role at an event in Kentucky, describing his position as “offensive coordinator.”
“If we win in North Carolina … I’m still the offensive coordinator,” McConnell said. “I don’t know if I’m going to be the defensive coordinator or the offensive coordinator as I speak,” he added.
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A Senate race in Georgia headed for a January 5 runoff between Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock. McConnell said a second Senate race on the Georgia ballot, between Republican Senator David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff, could face the same fate.
The best news for Republicans came from Maine, where Collins, a moderate Republican once considered in jeopardy, scored a surprise victory over Democrat Sara Gideon, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.
“I feel like this is an affirmation of the work I am doing in Washington to fight hard every day for the people of Maine,” Collins told reporters.
The Democrats ousted Republican Senators Martha McSally of Arizona and Cory Gardner of Colorado. But those victories were down to a net gain of one from the loss of Democratic Senator Doug Jones in Alabama.
Democrats’ path to victory was further shortened when Republican incumbents Joni Ernst of Iowa, Steve Daines of Montana, John Cornyn of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, all once considered vulnerable, fought back against Democratic rivals. to win reelection.
Republicans also kept an available seat in Kansas, where Republican Roger Marshall defeated Democrat Barbara Bollier.
A Republican-led Senate would pose deep problems for Biden if he wins the presidency, likely blocking much of his legislative agenda, including expanding health care and fighting climate change. A second Trump term would face a similar hurdle in the House of Representatives, where Democrats clung to a narrow majority.
CLOSE RACE IN MICHIGAN
The Senate race in Michigan drew criticism from Trump just before the race turned in favor of the Democrat and Peters was declared the winner.
“Wow! Looks like Michigan has found the ballots needed to keep a wonderful young man, John James, out of the United States Senate. What a terrible thing is happening!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
In North Carolina, Republican Senator Thom Tillis declared victory over his Democratic rival, Cal Cunningham. The race had not been called, with Tillis leading by less than 2 percentage points. State election officials said no further results will be available until November 12 at the earliest, when all ballots are received and counted by mail.
In Georgia, Perdue was more than 3 percentage points ahead of Democrat Jon Ossoff in Georgia.
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska had a sizable lead with half the votes counted.
Gardner, a first-term Republican long considered the most vulnerable Senate incumbent in his party, lost to former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in a formerly Republican state where demographic shifts have increasingly favored Democrats in recent years. years.
Democrat Mark Kelly, a former American astronaut who had long dominated the Arizona race, defeated McSally by more than 5 percentage points in the once Republican stronghold.
Jones, the most vulnerable Democrat, lost as expected to his defiant Tommy Tuberville in the Republican stronghold of Alabama.
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