By Carl Hulse
In the voting that took place on Tuesday, Republicans took over the Senate by securing at least three seats held by Democrats and safeguarding their own vulnerable lawmakers, concluding four years under Democratic dominance.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown from Ohio, whom party officials thought could battle the Republican wave in his deeply red state, lost his quest for a fourth term to luxury car businessman Bernie Moreno. Brown’s defeat followed an easy win for West Virginia’s Governor Jim Justice, who claimed the seat vacated by the retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, a long-serving Democrat who transformed into an independent this year.
In Montana’s closely monitored Senate contest, Republican Tim Sheehy was announced the winner over three-term incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Tester on Wednesday morning, as Republicans enhanced their lead for the upcoming congressional session beginning in January.
These defeats eliminated the Democratic majority of 51-49 after another Republican, Sen. Deb Fischer from Nebraska, successfully faced off against an unexpectedly tough challenge from independent Dan Osborn. With campaigns that were bolstered by former President Donald Trump’s influence in critical states, Republicans may further increase their majority, with closely contested races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada still pending resolution.
In another congressional race, Republicans were making early progress in their effort to retain control of the House, although several pivotal contests in battleground states and California remained too close to call.
Democrats managed to gain two seats in New York and maintained one each in Michigan and New Mexico, yet they still needed to protect several incumbents and secure various other Republican seats to reclaim control. The GOP defended vulnerable House incumbents nationwide, won a significant district in Central Michigan, and looked poised to flip two vital seats in Pennsylvania, where Democrats conceded prior to the final tallies.
It may take several days before sufficient results are available to announce a winner in the House.
Leading Senate Republicans celebrated their achievement, which will position them to play a prominent role in shaping the nation’s policies in the coming year and facilitate the confirmation of judicial and executive branch nominees presented by the Trump administration.
“Voters are giving Senate Republicans a remarkable opportunity,” remarked Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 3 Republican, who was re-elected in Wyoming. “As a newly ascendant Republican Senate majority, we will focus on an agenda that reflects American priorities — lower prices, reduced spending, secure borders, and dominance in American energy.”
The new leadership will mark a change for the first time in 18 years, as Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is stepping down from the position he has held since 2007. Republican senators are set to elect their leaders next week, preparing to assume committee chairmanships that have been held by Democrats since 2021.
The loss of the majority led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was a significant setback for Democrats who had hoped to find a narrow path to maintain power. However, defending seats in states that Trump has won consistently proved too challenging.
“We might find ourselves questioning whether we exerted enough effort or were persistent enough,” Brown said to his supporters after conceding defeat at a gathering in Columbus, Ohio. “That’s not the narrative we wish to tell.”
The struggle for Senate control centered largely on Ohio and Montana, two Democratic-aligned regions that Trump managed to flip in 2016, 2020, and again with relative ease on Tuesday evening.
Brown, a progressive Democrat with strong ties to labor unions, focused on abortion rights and the federal support he had secured for his state, yet Moreno critiqued him on immigration and transgender issues. Brown also faced the challenge of Trump’s popularity in Ohio.
“We discussed desiring a red wave,” Moreno expressed to his supporters upon claiming victory in Westlake, Ohio. “What we have this evening is a red, white, and blue wave across the nation.”
Tester was viewed as being in a more precarious position than Brown, contesting in a Western state that has turned increasingly Republican since his election in 2006. Sheehy, a decorated former Navy SEAL and entrepreneur, won despite facing scrutiny regarding conflicting accounts of how he sustained a bullet wound in his arm.
The Montana race was deemed crucial for the majority; however, ultimately it was Brown’s defeat that solidified Republican control, while Tester’s race lingered unresolved for hours afterward. The outcome in Montana left both Senate factions focused on the narrow races in various remaining states that will influence the size of the Republican majority.
Democrats did retain a seat in Maryland, where Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive, triumphed over former Governor Larry Hogan, making history as the first Black woman to represent the state in the Senate. In Delaware, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, also Black and a Democrat, captured an open seat, resulting in the Senate having two Black female members for the first time.
In Indiana, Rep. Jim Banks, a Republican and the former leader of a conservative House faction, was easily elected to occupy the vacancy left by Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican who won the gubernatorial race. Banks was considered a rising figure in the House but opted to pursue a Senate position after losing an internal GOP election for a leadership role.
Sen. Rick Scott from Florida, who aims to become the Republican Senate leader, was also re-elected, successfully fending off a Democratic challenger. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who was believed to be in a tight contest with Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat, also emerged victorious.
In Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 83-year-old independent and former presidential hopeful aligned with Democrats, was re-elected for a fourth term.
Additionally, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., successfully defended against a formidable challenge from her Republican rival, Eric Hovde, a wealthy banker, securing just enough support in a state that leaned toward Trump to achieve a third term.
