Julia Hernandez
(CNN) – Republicans will win the majority in the US Senate, according to CNN projections, significantly changing the balance of power in Washington.
With several races still without a projected winner, Republicans now have 51 seats in the upper chamber and will assume control, under a yet-to-be-elected Republican leader when the new Congress convenes in January.
Having gained control of the Senate was the first big success of the night for the Republicans.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz will win re-election and defeat Democrat Colin Allred, CNN projects
The new Republican Senate will be in a position to support Trump’s agenda if he wins a second term and to resume the important remodeling of the Judiciary carried out by the former president with dozens of more conservatives if he ends up in the Oval Office. If Harris prevails, she would have trouble confirming her Cabinet members and judicial nominees, and the Republican Senate could thwart her domestic policy plans.
Republicans’ march toward control of the Senate began on election night, when West Virginia Governor Jim Justice won the seat vacated by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. Democrats had stopped contesting the seat after Manchin announced he would not run for re-election.
In Ohio, three-term Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown will lose his re-election bid, CNN projects. The new Republican senator will be businessman Bernie Moreno, a vehement supporter of Trump.
Cruz and Scott win re-election
The Democrats’ few chances to mitigate their losses quickly disappeared throughout the night.
In Florida, Republican Senator Rick Scott easily defeated a challenge from former Democratic Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who had based her campaign in part on the reaction to the repeal of the federal right to abortion and Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Democrats hoped an abortion measure on the state ballot could boost Democratic turnout, but that measure failed Tuesday night.
The party’s best chance to win a seat had been in Texas, where the party’s national groups made last-minute, multimillion-dollar investments to try to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. However, the two-term senator will defeat Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, according to CNN projections, representing another disappointment for Democrats looking to make inroads in the long-red state.
And in Nebraska, CNN projects that Republican Sen. Deb Fischer will defeat a candidate who ultimately provided a stronger challenge than expected, independent Dan Osborn, who, along with his allies, outspent Republican forces in the state. His defeat would not necessarily have flipped the seat to the Democrats, as Osborn had not said which party he would align with in Washington. But with Democrats trying to prevent a Republican majority, an Osborn victory would have deprived Republicans of a seat.
Featured races
Democrats faced a tough road this year in defending their narrow control of the Senate, as candidates seeking re-election are in states that Trump had won twice before or narrowly lost in 2020.
There are still several key competitive races whose results have not been announced.
In Montana, Democratic Senator Jon Tester, seeking his third term, faced a tough battle on Tuesday to defend himself against the challenge of Republican businessman Tim Sheehy, a former member of the Marine Corps SEAL unit, in his red state.
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Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, seeking her third term, is in a tight race with Republican Eric Hovde, in a state that is also crucial to the presidential race.
In another key state for Democratic success, Michigan, two national security specialists face each other. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin is seeking to retain the seat vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Slotkin faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and left Congress in 2015.
In Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is trying to fend off a challenge from Republican Dave McCormick, who lost Trump’s support during the 2022 Senate primary but secured it, as well as the GOP nomination this year.
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Final numbers in the Senate will also have to await the outcome in Nevada, where first-term Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen faces Republican Sam Brown, an Army veteran who also lost the primary two years ago for that other Senate seat. state. And in Arizona, where Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has become an independent, is retiring, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faces Trump supporter Kari Lake, the 2022 Republican candidate for governor, who still refuses to acknowledge her defeat in that race.
There wasn’t much to celebrate for Democrats on the Senate map Tuesday, but Democrat Angela Alsobrooks was projected to beat former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who was popular in the solidly blue state. Hogan was often critical of Trump, a stance that proved challenging for him with deeply conservative Republicans in the western districts of Maryland and areas near the Eastern Shore. Alsobrooks will become the fourth Black woman elected to the Senate, after Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester, the third, was projected to win Delaware’s open Senate seat earlier in the evening.
