Republicans regain the Senate and try to retain the majority in the House of Representatives

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The Senate returned to Republican hands after the Democrats lost West Virginia and Ohio. The Republicans manage to win at least 51 seats out of 100, at a time when there are still seven seats to be allocated. In the lower house, the House of Representatives, the Republicans are trying to maintain their majority and appear to be on their way. The provisional results give an advantage to Trump’s party, ranging between 192 and 196 seats compared to 169 to 172 for the Democrats.

The polls already supported the scenario of recovery of the Senate by the Republicans (who lost this chamber in 2020). This is because many of the places that went to vote belonged to Democrats in more conservative-leaning states and localities. Until now, the Senate had a fragile Democratic majority of 51 to 49, but at the beginning of election night it began to become clear that the process would not be easy for Kamala Harris’ party. Starting with West Virginia, where Republican Jim Justice ‘stole’ the seat of Joe Manchin, elected by the Democrats but who became independent this year and announced his retirement. According to AP, This is the first time since 1958 that both senators from that state are Republicans.

Then, it was in Ohio where there was a change of seats based on political color. Republican Bernie Moreno unseated Democrat Sherrod Brown, 71, who had been a senator since 2007. Moreno is a Colombian immigrant who came to the United States when he was five years old. During the campaign, he sought to link Brown to Democratic Party players, including Kamala Harris. Donald Trump praised him and highlighted how Moreno will “secure the American border,” characterizing Brown as a “radical leftist politician.”

On election night, the Democrat conceded defeat, but reminded his opponent that “it will never be wrong to fight for the freedom of women to make their own health decisions.” According to an AP poll of 3,700 Ohio voters, about four in 10 voters acknowledged that regaining control of the Senate was the factor that most influenced the decision, and half said it was an important factor.

Democrats hoped to take back at least the Texas seat, which would be the first time in more than 20 years, in a state where conservative Ted Cruz was challenged by Democrat Colin Allred, including in a heated debate over abortion rights (Texas It is one of the most restrictive states). But without success: Cruz would be re-elected.

In the Senate, the upper house, only a third of the seats were voted on: 34 out of a total of 100, most of which were occupied by Democrats. Here, senators are elected for six-year terms, but they are elected in different years. Since electoral cycles occur every two years (in presidential and midterm elections), senators attend elections on a rotating basis, by class (class 1, 2 or 3). Each state has two senators, regardless of its population.

So far (at seven in the morning this Wednesday, Lisbon time), according to the Associated Press, theRepublicans have at least 51 seats, at a time when there are still seven seats to be allocated.

Democrat Elizabeth Warren won re-election to the Senate, as did Bernie Sanders, as an independent. Democrat Andy Kim won New Jersey, becoming the first Korean-American to be elected. He succeeds Bob Menendez, who resigned this year after a corruption conviction. For Democrats, there is history to be made. Lisa Blunt (Delaware) and Angela Alsobrooks (Maryland) were elected to the Senate and will be the first women to represent their respective states. This will also be the first time that two African American women occupy the Senate at the same time.

In the House of Representatives, members serve two-year terms. Currently the majority is Republican (220 to 212), after recovering in the 2022 midterm elections, voters elect the 435 representatives, but the final result may take days to be known. For now, AP gives 192 seats to Republicans, while Democrats have 172. CNN, in turn, gives 196 to Republicans and 169 to Democrats.

Among the congressmen already elected is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Considered one of the main representatives of the most left wing of the Democratic Party. Republicans, according to CNN, regained three seats in North Carolina.