Senate Control Undecided as Dems Maintain House Majority
Joe Biden became the President-Elect on Saturday, Nov. 7, CNN projected; Pennsylvania gave Biden the 20 electoral college votes he needed, pushing him over the 270 marks to become the 46th President of the United States. Following Election Night, Democrats are positioned to hold the majority in the House. However, control of the Senate hangs in the balance as Democrats and Republicans are deadlocked for a majority according to recent projections. Control of the Senate may fall on two Georgia seats, and the balance of power could likely be in limbo until early January.
Though the GOP fended off Democratic opponents in several highly-anticipated matchups, the Georgia runoff elections held on Jan. 5 will likely determine party control of the Senate. As four uncalled races currently put the Senate breakdown at 48-48 for Democrats and Republicans, these twin rematches are crucial for a Biden presidency’s ambitions. Should Democrats win both races in Georgia, Joe Biden, president-elect, would be dealing with a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate.
On Election Night, Democratic hopes for Senate majority seemed to fade as Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama lost his reelection bid in the deep-red state to Republican Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach. Democrats have picked up a seat in Colorado with John Hickenlooper defeating Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, and another in Arizona, where Democrat Mark Kelly beat GOP Sen. Martha McSally. This means that Democrats have so far only netted one seat in a Senate race that had been polling favorably for the party, a disappointment to Democrats who were banking on a “blue wave” that never came.
Many GOP senators who faced harsh opposition this election year hung on to their seats, notably Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Montana Sen. Steve Daines, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. In one of the country’s most-watched races, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell won reelection to the US Senate in Kentucky over fierce challenger Amy McGrath.
To guarantee majority control of the Senate after six years of Republican stronghold, Democrats needed to flip four Republican seats. Democratic hopes of claiming the majority had rested on Joe Biden securing the presidency if the Senate race ended in a 50-50 deadlock. With Biden’s victory, a gain of three seats for the Democrats can ensure Senate control as the vice-president, Kamala Harris, will be eligible to cast a tie-breaking vote in a split Senate.
Chances of flipping party control were far less likely in the House, though Republicans managed to narrow the overwhelming Democratic majority by unseating Democratic incumbents in red states. The GOP flipped back numerous key seats previously won by Democrats in the 2018 midterms when the House saw a 40-seat gain for the Democratic party.
In the House, Democrats fell short in flipping seats held by vulnerable Republicans and lost in a few districts flipped from red to blue in 2018. Significantly, they lost seats previously picked up in South Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Iowa, losing the seat held by Minnesota’s long-serving chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Collin Peterson. Rather than expanding on their multi-seat advantage as predicted through polling, it appears as though Democrats will see that margin shrink.
Across the country, voters made vast strides in electing a diverse range of candidates to represent their districts in the 117th Congress. A record-breaking six Native American candidates will be sworn into the House in January. Two indigenous candidates from Hawaii and New Mexico win their house seats alongside four current Native American incumbents. New Mexico has made history as the first state to elect all women of color to the House.
All four Congresswomen of “The Squad,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib, also held their seats in Congress; progressive values will be further represented in Congress with the addition of fellow young progressives. Ritchie Torres and Mondaine Jones, both of New York City, will become the first openly gay Black members of Congress, a significant step towards a more inclusive Congressional representation of the nation.
The far-reaching impacts of party control in the House and Senate have been highlighted in recent weeks with the vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in the Senate, as well as attempts in Congress to pass coronavirus relief packages. Just as the substantial Democratic control inhibited some Republican causes under the Trump presidency, a Republican-controlled Senate would undoubtedly provide severe roadblocks to the Biden administration’s operations. Though party control of the Senate can now not be determined until January, Democrats see the prospect of a Republican Senate as a barrier for any hopes of progressive policies. As seen in Washington many times before, a Republican Senate with a Democratic President will likely lead to gridlock on any significant developments.
As Republicans and Democrats vie for control in the House and Senate, both parties maintain their respective majorities with few flips. "Republican Elephant & Democratic Donkey - 3D Icons" by DonkeyHotey is licensed under CC BY 2.0