CNN
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The Republicans will gain the majority in the US Senate, CNN expects, which will shift the balance of power in Washington.

A Republican majority will put the Senate in a position to strengthen a possible Donald Trump presidency or hinder a possible Kamala Harris administration if the Democratic vice president wins the White House.

With several races still to be called, Republicans now have 51 seats in the House and will take control, led by a yet-to-be-elected Republican leader when the new Congress convenes in January.

The takeover of the Senate was the first major success of the evening for Republicans, with the battle between Trump and Harris still to be resolved and the fate of the House of Representatives, where the Republican Party is trying to defend its slim majority, also in the air hangs. .

The new Republican Senate will be positioned to support Trump’s agenda if he wins a second term, and to resume the ex-president’s sweeping judicial overhaul with many more conservatives if he ends up in the Oval Office . If Harris were to win, she would face difficulty confirming members of her Cabinet and judicial nominees, and the Republican-led Senate could thwart her domestic plans.

The Republican march toward control began early on election night when West Virginia Governor Jim Justice was expected to take over the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Democrat.–Independent Senator Joe Manchin. Democrats had stopped contesting the seat after Manchin announced he would not seek re-election.

In Ohio, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has served three terms in the House, will lose his re-election bid, CNN projects, in a state that has gone from a perennial political bellwether to a deep red stronghold during his tenure. The new Republican senator will be businessman Bernie Moreno, an ardent supporter of Trump.

Cruz and Scott are seeking re-election

The few Democratic opportunities to soften their losses quickly diminished overnight.

In Florida, Republican Sen. Rick Scott responded easily to a challenge from former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who had built her campaign in part on a response to the destruction of the federal right to abortion and Florida’s six-week abortion ban. Democrats had hoped that an abortion measure in the state’s elections could increase Democratic turnout, but the measure failed Tuesday night.

The party’s best chance to gain a seat was in Texas, where national party groups late invested millions of dollars in an effort to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. But the two-term senator will beat Democratic Rep. Defeating Colin Allred, CNN projects, means another disappointment for Democrats as they chase the illusion of breaking the old Republican record.

And in Nebraska, CNN predicts that Republican Sen. Deb Fischer will defeat a stronger-than-expected challenge from independent Dan Osborn, who, along with his allies, has outpaced Republican forces in the state. Her loss would not necessarily have given the seat to Democrats, as Osborn had not said which party he would work with in Washington. But with Democrats trying to stave off a Republican majority, an Osborn victory would have robbed Republicans of a seat.

Excellent racing

Democrats have always faced a prohibitive path this year in defending their limited control of the Senate, as incumbents up for re-election are in states that Trump had already held twice before or narrowly lost in 2020 .

There are several important, excellent competitive races that have not yet been called.

In Montana, three-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester faced an uphill battle Tuesday to fend off a challenge from Republican businessman Tim Sheehy, a retired Navy SEAL, in his red state.

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who is running for a third term, is in a tight race with Republican Eric Hovde in a state that is also crucial to the presidential race.

In another blue wall state critical to Democrats’ election success, Michigan pits two national security specialists against each other. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin is seeking to keep the seat vacated by retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow. She faces former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who left Congress in 2015.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is trying to hold off a challenge from Republican Dave McCormick, who lost Trump’s support in the 2022 Senate primaries but secured this year, and the Republican nomination.

Final Senate numbers will also have to await results from Nevada, where first-term Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen faces Republican Sam Brown, an Army veteran who also lost a primary two years ago for the state’s other Senate seat . And in Arizona, where Democratic independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is retiring, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faces Trump acolyte Kari Lake, the 2022 gubernatorial candidate who still refuses to acknowledge her defeat in that race.

There wasn’t much to cheer for Democrats on the Senate ticket Tuesday, but Democrat Angela Alsobrooks was expected to defeat Maryland’s Republican former president. Gov. Larry Hogan, who was popular in the solidly blue state. Hogan was often critical of Trump, a stance that posed a challenge for him against deeply conservative Republicans in western districts and areas close to Maryland’s eastern coast. Alsobrooks will become only the fourth Black woman elected to the Senate, after Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester, the third, was expected to win Delaware’s open Senate seat earlier in the evening.