New Delhi: Republicans have wrested control of the US Senate from the Democrats in a race where they were heavily favoured. With Donald Trump securing a second term as the President of the United States, control of the Congress will play an instrumental role in ensuring the passage of Republican policies.
The Republicans are also inching towards the majority mark in the lower chamber—the House of Representatives.
One of the most important powers of the Senate is to confirm judicial appointments made by the president, including those to the US Supreme Court. This impact was demonstrated in Trump’s previous presidency, when he had appointed Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett to the top court—the most by any president since Ronald Reagan—giving the court its Conservative supermajority.
One such decision—the overturning of the Roe v. Wade judgment and elimination of the constitutional right to abortion—was a key election issue in this high-stakes battle between Trump and Kamala Harris. The court had also turned Right on other matters, such as the Second Amendment (right to possess arms) and presidential power. This will be particularly important as Trump is yet to be tried for a number of federal crimes, including the 2020 election interference.
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How Republicans beat Democrats to Senate
Democrats had held the Senate, the top chamber of the US Congress, by a slim majority since the 2020 elections. They had 51 seats, including the independent candidates caucusing with them, against the 49 held by Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris had the tie-breaking vote in case of a deadlock.
Of the 34 seats up for election Tuesday, only 14 were solidly Democratic, nine were Republican, and nine of the most competitive seats were expected to decide the race.
Democrats, including Independents, were defending seven of these seats with only two leaning Democrat. To keep control of the Senate, therefore, Democrats needed to win at least nine seats on top of their 14 guaranteed seats, while Republicans needed only four.
On Wednesday, with counting still on, Republicans flipped the swing seat in Ohio, which along with victories in Florida, Nebraska and Texas gave them control of the Senate.
They also won the predominantly Republican seat of West Virginia, which was occupied by an independent candidate. Republican candidates were also leading in battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Democrats and Independents held on to 14 seats, with notable names like Independent Bernie Sanders retaining Vermont and former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren keeping Massachusetts. Among the Democratic-leaning seats, the party won Maryland, was leading in Arizona, but trailing in Nevada.
Only three Democrat-leaning seats and three competitive seats were left to call, but the Democrats’ fate was already sealed.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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