Democrats Lose Ground to Republicans in Senate, Seize Control of House

It was evident early on election night that the Republicans would maintain control of the Senate. Of the 33 seats up for election on Nov. 6, 24 belonged to Democrats, 9 belonged to Republicans, and 2 belonged to Independents who caucus with the Democrats. The Republicans already had a majority in the Senate, so the Democrats entered the electoral stage at a disadvantage. They needed to hold 24 seats (26 including the Independents), as well as gain two seats in order to reach a majority. However, early on election night the Republicans quickly reached the necessary 50 seats to maintain their majority; Republican Vice President Mike Pence would be able to act as a tie-breaker, effectively giving Republicans the majority.

Even though the Republicans maintained the majority, they did much better than that – they even gained seats in the Senate. Although not all the votes have been counted, at least three Democratic incumbents’ seats in the Senate went to Republican candidates. Democratic senators from Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota lost seats on the senate to Republican challengers.

However, the story was much different for the House of Representatives. Before the election, it was frequently predicted that the Republicans would lose their majority – and indeed they did. Early reports from the Associated Press suggested that Democrats would take the lead in the House, and as the night progressed, those predictions proved to be true. The Democrats gained 220 seats, two more than needed to gain the majority of 218. The votes have not all been counted, so this number could rise.

What does this mean for the state of American politics? Increasing partisan polarization could mean that Congress is due for legislative gridlock in the near future. This shift of party power in Congress could mean interesting news in the future. The House has the sole right to initiate impeachment proceedings, but the Senate has final authority over impeachment proceedings. President Trump offered somewhat of a symbolic olive branch on election night when he tweeted, “In all fairness, Nancy Pelosi deserves to be chosen Speaker of the House by the Democrats. If they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes. She has earned this great honor!”