Republicans inch closer to Senate majority in early results
Republicans have claimed an early win in the race for congressional control, with the state’s current governor, Jim Justice, securing a former Democratic-aligned seat in West Virginia.
On election day, in addition to the presidential race, all 435 House of Representatives seats and 34 Senate seats are at stake.
Republicans currently hold a majority in the House, and Justice’s projected victory in West Virginia brings the Senate to a 50-50 split. However, results in other races are still pending.
Whichever party wins the majority in either the House or the Senate will have more influence in pushing through its legislative agenda, regardless of the president’s party affiliation.
If one party controls the House, Senate, and White House, it would wield significant power to pass laws and pursue the president’s partisan agenda.
The West Virginia Senate seat flipped Republican following the retirement of former Democrat Joe Manchin, who had often clashed with his party before becoming an independent.
Justice, the Republican winner, had been a Democrat before switching parties at a Trump rally in 2017.
Republicans were also expected to retain a Senate seat in Florida, with incumbent Rick Scott, a former governor, running for re-election against former Miami-area Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat who immigrated from Ecuador as a child.
At a victory rally, Scott forecasted that Republicans would take control of the Senate and that he would be chosen as Senate Majority Leader.
“Florida is the center of the Republican party of this country,” he told the crowd. “Washington can learn a hell of a lot from what we’ve done right here in this great state.”
Other races that would swing control of the upper chamber of Congress are taking place in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Montana, Michigan, Nevada, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin.
The vast majority of House elections are happening in “safe districts” – regions where one party is nearly certain to win. But a handful of other races in swing districts could determine who controls Washington DC.
House races that could swing the balance are taking place a wide variety of states, with closely watched elections happening in California, New York, Washington, Maine and Alaska.
