Republicans, on Tuesday, gained control of the U.S. Senate with victories in West Virginia and Ohio, ensuring that Donald Trump’s party will dominate at least one chamber of Congress next year.
Additionally, Republicans made early strides in their efforts to maintain control of the House of Representatives.
The results of Tuesday’s elections secure Republicans’ ability to assist Trump in appointing conservative judges and other government officials if he wins the presidential race. Conversely, if Democrat Kamala Harris emerges victorious, Republicans will be positioned to block much of her agenda.
In West Virginia, Republican Jim Justice was projected to win the open Senate seat previously held by Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent, shortly after polls closed.
In Ohio, Republican Bernie Moreno was projected to defeat incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.
These two victories will ensure that Republicans maintain at least a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the possibility of further gains as results from other competitive races are reported.
Republicans also won several races that could allow them to expand their 220-212 majority in the House, though the final outcome may not be known for days.
They won a Democratic-held district in Pennsylvania that includes Scranton, Democratic President Joe Biden’s hometown, and picked up seats from Democrats in North Carolina, where they had redrawn district lines to their advantage.
Democrats won a Republican-held seat in upstate New York and a seat in Alabama that had been redrawn to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court order to create a Black majority district.
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