The vote counting for the Senate and House of Representatives has not yet finished in some states, so the party that will have a majority in each house has not yet been defined.
In the Senate, this definition may only happen after December 6. The reason is that Georgia, one of the states that could define the majority, will have to hold a runoff to choose its representative in the Senate because the candidates did not manage to reach 50% of the valid votes in Tuesday’s contest.
The situation in the Senate as of this Thursday, November 10, is as follows: The Democrats have 48 seats and the Republicans 49. There are still three seats in contention: Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia. In Nevada, about 15% of the votes are still to be counted. In Arizona, about 30% remain. And in Georgia, as mentioned, the contest goes to a runoff.
If the Democrats win two of these seats, they gain the majority, since Vice President Kamala Harris has the tie-breaking vote. This is the formation with which the Senate has legislated over the past two years. The Republicans, in turn, also need to win two of these seats that are still in contention to achieve a majority.
In the House of Representatives, the counting of the votes seems to be favoring the Republicans. As of Thursday (10), the Republicans had 208 seats secured and the Democrats 190. A majority in the house is achieved by reaching 218 seats. If the Republicans reach this number, it is believed that based on the results so far, they will dominate the House with a very slim majority. Over the past two years, the House has been controlled by the Democrats.
So far, experts are considering the overall result of these elections more favorable to the Democrats. Given the public’s discontent with inflation and the threat of a recession, experts expected a red wave (Republican) across the country. But this did not materialize, and the population remains quite divided.
Even in light of the possible loss of leadership in the House of Representatives, President Joe Biden considered the outcome of these elections good for his party. He was so enthusiastic that he has already stated that, although it is not yet decided, he has plans to run for re-election in 2024.