On Saturday, Democrats maintained control of the Senate, thwarting Republican attempts to regain control of the body and making it more difficult for them to obstruct President Joe Biden’s agenda.
As the GOP battled to put together a slim majority in the House, the future of the chamber remained uncertain.
With Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory in Nevada, Democrats now have 50 seats to maintain control of the Senate.
Her victory highlights the unexpected strength of Democrats in the United States throughout this election season.
Republicans were frustrated because Cortez Masto was seen as the Senate’s most vulnerable member and was up for reelection in a state with some of the highest gas prices in the country and a struggling economy.
Saturday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted, “Your Senate Democratic Majority! ”
Georgia is the only state where both parties are still vying for a Senate seat after the results in Nevada were announced.
In a runoff on December 6, Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock will take on Republican opponent Herschel Walker.
The Alaska Senate election has moved on to ranked-choice voting, but Republicans will continue to hold the seat.
The speedier procedure for Biden’s judicial and cabinet nominees, including those for possible Supreme Court openings, is ensured by the Democratic Senate majority.
The party will also have control over committees, have the authority to look into or oversee the Biden administration, and be able to reject any legislation that the House sends over if they so want.
Democrats would have complete control of Congress if they were to reclaim the House, giving them a second chance to push Biden’s agenda, which he has stated include codifying abortion rights.
The party still lacks the 60 Senate votes necessary to pass many significant pieces of legislation.
Many hotly contested seats had been the key to the Senate race.
The top battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia saw tens of millions of dollars spent by both parties there.
Democrats had hoped that the Republican Party’s choice to nominate unproven candidates, many of whom were supported by former President Donald Trump, would help them overcome the odds in the country.
In Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated Trump-endorsed celebrity heart surgeon, Dr. Mehmet Oz to take over a Republican-held seat, Democrats secured a significant victory.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona won reelection by around 5%.
Nevada is one of the most racially diverse states in the union, a closely divided swing state, and a working-class state whose citizens have been particularly hard-hit by inflation and other economic difficulties.
According to an AP VoteCast poll of 2,100 residents, over three-fourths of Nevada voters believe the nation is moving in the wrong way, and about half named the economy the country’s most pressing problem.
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