The Democrats, the party of President Joe Biden, will maintain control of the United States Senate after victories were secured in the legislative elections in the states of Arizona and Nevada, which re-elected their current senators Mark Kelly and Catherine Cortez Masto, respectively, this weekend.
The party defied the historical trend of midterm elections, which often favors the opposition party to the current government, a common way to express discontent with current politics. And this year, with inflation soaring and a high risk of recession, voters had plenty of reasons to show dissatisfaction. However, the election results indicated greater discontent with Republican candidates who aligned themselves with former President Donald Trump.
Maintaining control of the Senate is a significant boost for President Joe Biden in the two years remaining of his first term in the White House. The Democrats will have the ability to confirm Biden’s judicial nominees—avoiding scenarios like the one former President Barack Obama faced in 2016, when then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to vote on his Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. This also means that Senate Democrats can reject bills passed by the House and set their own agenda.
However, the Democrats will continue with a fairly narrow majority. The president’s party secured 50 seats in the Senate, while the Republicans have 49. One seat is still undecided: that of the state of Georgia, which will likely go to a runoff on December 6. Even if the Republicans win in Georgia, leaving the number of seats tied, Vice President Kamala Harris has the tie-breaking vote, ensuring a Democratic majority.
The situation in the House of Representatives is uncertain, as many votes are still being counted, primarily in districts in California, Oregon, and Arizona. As of Monday, November 14, Republicans had 212 seats and Democrats 204. The party that reaches 218 seats gains control of the house. Experts are predicting a Republican victory.