The Democratic Party defied historical trends by retaining control over the United States (US) Senate following Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Mastro’s win over Republican opponent Adam Laxalt, with a 50-49 majority before the Georgia run-off next month.
Even if Republican candidate Herschel Walker ends up winning against Senator Raphael Warnock in the run-off election in Georgia on December 6, the Democrats will still control the Senate 50-50 via the tie-breaker vote by Vice President Kamala Harris.
🎉🎉🎉 IT’S OFFICIAL: WE DEFENDED THE SENATE! 🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/42v2lwVQYu
— Senate Democrats (@dscc) November 13, 2022
The majority also allows President Joe Biden to be able to appoint judges without any hurdles and pass simple bills with a simple majority instead of the mandatory 60 votes.
In an interview, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted, “The pundits in Washington said we couldn’t win because ‘history, history, history.’ Elections are about the future,” adding that she is “proud” of the Democratic candidates.
Similarly, during a press conference on Saturday, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer remarked, “I feel good for the country. Because so many people worried—I did—about this democracy.”
“America showed that we believe in our democracy. That the roots of our democracy are deep and strong. And that it will prevail as long as we fight for it,” he declared.
Democrats had an amazing 2 years and got a record amount done this Congress.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 13, 2022
And the American people believed in our accomplishments:
American Rescue Plan
Infrastructure bill
PACT Act for veterans
A major gun safety law
CHIPS and Science Act
Inflation Reduction Act
So much more
Schumer also called the election results “a clarion call by the American people” for Republicans to “stop flirting with autocracy, stop spending your time denying the election and work to get something done.” Schumer went on to warn: “They can continue to let the MAGA hard-right lead them — that’s a path to failure. Or the group who is not MAGA can work with us on important issues that benefit the American people.”
During the bitterly-fought mid-term elections, the Republicans appeared confident of a “red wave” to sweep the country. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) questioned the “candidate quality” earlier this year, saying, “I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different.” Nevertheless, OpenSecrets claimed that McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund spent at least $230 million to win the House and the Senate Majority PAC spent at least $155 million this year.
I’m an optimist but I’m not surprised Senate Democrats held the majority.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 13, 2022
Working together, we’ve delivered historic progress for working families.
Americans chose that progress.
Several candidates like Georgia’s Walker and Pennsylvania’s Mehmet Oz, who lost against Democrat John Fetterman, were backed by former President Donald Trump. Following the Saturday results, Trump remained uncannily silent for more than 24 hours. He is also expected to formally announce his candidature for the 2024 presidential elections tomorrow, despite many Republicans urging him to wait until the Georgia run-offs are declared next month.
The Republicans still have a chance of winning a majority in the 2024 mid-terms, with almost 24 Democrat seats up for election, compared to the Republicans’ 10.
Dems will have 50 Senators & control of US Senate with Nevada & Arizona wins. An additional win in Georgia will make Joe Manchin less relevant. Sarah Palin got crushed. Abortion Rights were upheld in every state it was on the ballot. /3 pic.twitter.com/HXFWX5XzAP
— Mark Holland For Kansas (@Holland4Kansas) November 13, 2022
The Republicans are also slated to gain control of the US House of Representatives, with 26 seats still up for grabs. However, with Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defeating far-right Republican Joe Kent in Washington’s 3rd District on Saturday, it has increased the chances of Democrats only losing the House by a slim margin. President Joe Biden said the decision could be “perilously close,” claiming, “We can win it, but whether we’re going to win it remains to be seen.”