On a Saturday night in November, the United States Senate remained in Democratic hands after Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto held her seat in Nevada, a state battered by inflation and anxious about its economic future. Her win gave her party the fifty seats needed to keep the chamber, turning back a Republican effort that had seemed within reach. The result suggests that, for many voters, the fear of a more extreme opposition and the wound left by the reversal of Roe v. Wade counted for as much as the sting of rising prices. The larger question of who will govern the nation's Congress as a whole i
Democrats Hold Senate as GOP Push Stalls in Nevada; House Control Still Undecided
Her win reflects the surprising strength of Democrats across the country
Mark
Why does Nevada matter so much? Democrats had other wins.
Mimi
Because it delivered the 50th seat. Cortez Masto was seen as the most vulnerable senator, so Republicans expected to win there, and instead Democrats kept the chamber.
Luke
Worth noting that 50 is the number the reporting cites as needed. The piece doesn't spell out the tiebreaking arithmetic, so I'd stay with what it says.
Mark
What explains the Democratic strength, given how worried voters were about prices?
Mimi
The survey data shows two forces. Half of voters said inflation weighed significantly, but 7 in 10 said the Roe decision was an important factor.
Luke
Those are VoteCast survey figures, self-reported. They show what voters said mattered, not proof of what decided any single race.
Mark
And the democracy argument?
Mimi
44% called the future of democracy their primary consideration. Democrats tied Republicans to Jan. 6 and to Trump's false claims about 2020.
Luke
Fair, though the source doesn't say how those voters split between parties. That's a gap.
Mark
What's still open?
Mimi
Georgia's Dec. 6 runoff between Warnock and Walker, and the House, where Republicans are struggling for a slim majority.
Luke
And the House outcome is genuinely unknown as of this reporting. Anything beyond that is speculation.
El Pulso
- Democrats hold the Senate by a single decisive seat after Cortez Masto's Nevada victory, rattling Republicans who had banked on her defeat.
- Inflation, gas prices and crime fears pulled hard at voters, yet abortion rights and warnings about extremism pushed back with real force.
- Tens of millions of dollars poured into Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia as both parties fought over a handful of decisive seats.
- Confirmation of Biden's Cabinet and judges now flows more smoothly, but the 60-vote threshold still blocks sweeping legislation.
- The House remains unsettled, and the December 6 Georgia runoff between Warnock and Walker could decide how much of Washington shifts hands.
On a Saturday night in November, the United States Senate remained in Democratic hands after Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto held her seat in Nevada, a state battered by inflation and anxious about its economic future. Her win gave her party the fifty seats needed to keep the chamber, turning back a Republican effort that had seemed within reach. The result suggests that, for many voters, the fear of a more extreme opposition and the wound left by the reversal of Roe v. Wade counted for as much as the sting of rising prices. The larger question of who will govern the nation's Congress as a whole is not yet answered.
On Saturday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a brief message celebrating the Democratic majority. It followed Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto's reelection in Nevada, the seat that gave Democrats the fifty votes they needed to keep control of the Senate. Republicans had hoped to win it back, and their hopes fell short.
Cortez Masto had been seen as the most vulnerable senator in her chamber. She ran in a state with some of the highest gas prices in the country, where working-class families had felt inflation sharply. Yet her win, along with Democratic victories in other tight races, revealed a surprising resilience for the party across the country.
The campaigns were fierce. Both parties spent tens of millions of dollars in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. Democrats benefited from Republican choices of untested candidates, many backed by Donald Trump. In Pennsylvania, John Fetterman defeated Mehmet Oz and flipped a Republican seat, while Mark Kelly held Arizona.
Republicans argued relentlessly about the economy, crime and the border. Democrats answered with the Supreme Court's decision overturning the right to abortion, and with warnings that Republicans were too extreme and a threat to democracy. Many voters said the abortion decision mattered to them, and most supported a nationwide guarantee of legal abortion access.
The Senate majority will make it easier to confirm Biden's appointments and judges, and it preserves Democratic control of committees. But the party still lacks the sixty votes needed for major legislation. The House remains undecided, and the Georgia runoff on December 6 will show how much of Congress remains in play.
On Saturday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted a short message on Twitter: "Your Senate Democratic Majority!" It came after Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won reelection in Nevada, which gave Democrats the 50 seats they needed to keep control of the chamber. Republicans had worked to retake it and fell short.
Cortez Masto had been regarded as the Senate's most vulnerable member. She was running in an economically challenged state with some of the highest gas prices in the country, and Republicans were confident she could be beaten. Her victory added to their frustration, and it reflected a surprising strength for Democrats across the country this year.
Nevada is closely divided and one of the most racially diverse states in the nation. Its working-class residents have been hit hard by inflation and economic turmoil. According to AP VoteCast, a survey of 2,100 of the state's voters, roughly three-fourths said the country is headed in the wrong direction, and about half named the economy as the most important issue facing the country.
The Senate contest came down to a handful of fiercely fought seats. Both parties spent tens of millions of dollars in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. Democrats had hoped that Republicans' choice of untested candidates, many backed by former President Donald Trump, would let them beat national headwinds. In Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon endorsed by Trump, and flipped a seat held by a Republican. In Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly won reelection by about 5 percentage points.
Control of the Senate carries practical weight. Democrats can move Biden's Cabinet appointments and judicial picks more smoothly, including any Supreme Court openings. They keep control of committees and the power to investigate or oversee the administration. They can also reject legislation passed by the House if Republicans win that chamber. If Democrats somehow take the House too, they would hold full control of Congress and another chance at Biden priorities, which he has said include codifying abortion rights. Still, the party lacks the 60 Senate votes needed for many kinds of major legislative change.
Republicans had campaigned relentlessly on the economy, with inflation and high gas and food prices weighing on voters. They also pressed on crime, a message that sometimes overstated the threat but tapped into anxiety, especially among suburban voters who had turned away from the party in 2018 and 2020. They highlighted illegal border crossings as well, accusing Biden and other Democrats of failing to protect the country.
Democrats countered with voter anger over the Supreme Court's June decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. They also portrayed Republicans as too extreme and a threat to democracy, pointing to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and to Trump's false claims, repeated by many GOP candidates, that the 2020 election was stolen. Nationally, VoteCast found 7 in 10 voters said the Roe v. Wade decision was an important factor in their vote, and the reversal was broadly unpopular. Roughly 6 in 10 favored a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. Half said inflation factored significantly, and 44% said the future of democracy was their primary consideration.
Beyond Congress, Democrats won governors' races in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, battlegrounds critical to Biden's 2020 win over Trump. Republicans held the governors' mansions in Florida, Texas and Georgia, another state Biden narrowly won two years ago.
Georgia is now the only state where both parties still contest a Senate seat: Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock faces Republican Herschel Walker in a Dec. 6 runoff. Alaska's race has moved to ranked choice voting, though that seat will stay Republican. The House remains undecided as the GOP struggles to assemble a slim majority. Trump, whose influence on the party endures despite the absence of Republican romps, plans to announce a third presidential run Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, setting up a possible rematch with Biden.
Citas Notables
Your Senate Democratic Majority!— Sen. Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, on Twitter
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