By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate with victories in Montana, Ohio and West Virginia on Wednesday, ensuring Donald Trump’s party will control at least one chamber of Congress next year.
Republicans were set to hold a majority of at least 52-48 inthe U.S. Senate and had added three seats to their 220-212 Houseof Representatives majority, though with 51 of the 435 races yetuncalled, final control of the lower chamber was yet unclear.
If Republicans ultimately prevail in the House, they wouldbe in a position to dictate the agenda in Washington, helpingTrump deliver on his promise to slash taxes and restrictimmigration, for at least the next two years until the 2026midterm elections.
The results also ensured Republicans in the Senate would beable to help Trump, who secured a comeback presidential election victory over Democrat Kamala Harris, appoint conservative judges and other government personnel.
Republican Tim Sheehy unseated Democratic U.S. Senator JonTester in Montana and Republican West Virginia Governor JimJustice won an open Senate seat in the state shortly after pollsclosed, taking over the seat previously held by Joe Manchin, aDemocrat-turned-independent. In Ohio, Republican Bernie Morenowas projected to defeat third-term incumbent Democrat SherrodBrown.
Republicans stood a chance to widen their Senate majorityfurther, as their candidates were leading Democratic incumbentsin Pennsylvania and Nevada.
Regardless, Republicans will not secure the 60-vote majorityneeded to advance most legislation in the chamber.
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin fended off Trump-backed Republican challenger Eric Hovde to win a third six-year term, Edison projected on Wednesday, after a tight contest in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
A liberal Democrat, Baldwin, 62, campaigned as a champion of abortion rights and working families hurt by the inflationary impact of what she calls “corporate greed.” She had led Hovde in opinion polls by a small margin.
The Senate was set to see two Black women servingsimultaneously for the first time, as Democrat Lisa BluntRochester won in Delaware, and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks won inMaryland.
HOUSE UP FOR GRABS
Republicans also won several races that could allow them toexpand their 220-212 majority in the House, though the finaloutcome may not be known for days.
They won a Democratic-held district in Pennsylvania thatincludes Scranton, Democratic President Joe Biden’s hometown,and picked up seats from Democrats in North Carolina, where theyhad redrawn district lines to their advantage, with anothervictory in Michigan.
Democrats won a Republican-held seat in upstate New York anda seat in Alabama that had been redrawn to comply with a U.S.Supreme Court order to create a Black majority district.
Democrats now need to flip at least seven seats to takecontrol of the 435-seat chamber. But their opportunities to doso were gradually diminishing, as Republican incumbents woncompetitive reelection races in Colorado, Iowa, New Jersey andVirginia.
In Delaware, voters made history by electing Democrat SarahMcBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress.
With at least 200 seats safe for each party, the winningside will likely end up with a narrow majority that could makegoverning difficult. That has been evident in the past two yearsas Republican infighting has led to failed votes and leadershipturmoil and undercut the party’s efforts to cut spending andtighten immigration.
Tight races in the heavily Democratic states of New York andCalifornia could determine House control, and Californiatypically takes several days to count its ballots.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Howard Goller, Jonathan Oatis, Deepa Babington and Alistair Bell)
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