The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
» Nation: Outcomes of races across the country
Wins by pro-Trump candidates may affect fights on judiciary, trade, health care, budget, immigration.
Republicans cemented control of the Senate for two more years Tuesday and positioned themselves for a more conservative majority, with victories by candidates who aligned closely with President Donald Trump.
North Dakota Rep. Kevin Cramer, Indiana businessman Mike Braun and Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, all staunch Trump allies, won seats held by Democrats. Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn, another Trump loyalist, defeated a popular former governor in Tennessee.
The results held implications for coming battles over the federal judiciary, trade, health care, government spending and immigration. Trump’s worldview is expected to be reflected strongly in those debates in the wake of Tuesday’s elections.
The outcomes also held significance for Trump himself. His administration could face investigations beginning next year. Democrats took over in the House. Some Democrats have even raised the possibility of impeachment. Senate Republicans could be Trump’s bulwark on Capitol Hill.
Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke Tuesday night, according to McConnell spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier. “The leader and the president had a great conversation, and he thanked the president for all his help,” she said.
The Senate Democratic caucus, meanwhile, is poised to shift to the left. The ouster of key centrists willing work with Trump and the presence of several liberal senators gearing up for possible presidential runs could cause more polarization in the chamber.
With the map in their favor, Republicans — who currently control both chambers of Congress — were on track to preserve and possibly expand their 51-to-49 advantage in the Senate. Analysts across the political spectrum had favored them to remain in power, even as they said Democrats were likely to wrest control of the House.
“I see two things,” said Jim Manley, a former top Democratic Senate aide, looking ahead. “A president unwilling to tone down his rhetoric, along with the Senate Republicans unwilling to break with him.”
Some of the most closely watched Senate races pitted centrist Democrats against conservative Republicans who ardently embraced Trump. Contests in Missouri, North Dakota, Indiana, West Virginia and Tennessee fell into this category.
Even before Tuesday’s vote, Senate Republicans were poised for a more pro-Trump roster next year. Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who have frequently voiced concerns about Trump’s tone and his governing philosophy, are retiring. John McCain, a vocal Trump critic, died in August.
Democrats tried to defeat candidates who marched in lockstep with Trump by running on preserving health-care protections and other so-called “kitchen table” issues. In key races, they fell short.
One wild card next year is Mitt Romney. The former Republican presidential nominee won the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch. Romney has criticized Trump, including in a speech opposing his candidacy in 2016. But lately, he has been less openly hostile to the president.
Senate Democrats were defending 26 of the 35 seats on the ballot, including 10 in states Trump won. They were hoping to offset their losses with some gains.
They were able to pick up at least one seat in the Sun Belt, where Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., unseated Republican Sen. Dean Heller, a one-time Trump critic who warmed up to the president during the campaign.
In Arizona, Democratic leaders were hopeful that Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Green Party activist who ran as a moderate Democrat, would win Flake’s seat. But her opponent, Rep. Martha McSally, appeared to be in the lead early Wednesday morning. The one-time Trump critic came to embrace the president over the course of her campaign.
Florida, another state with a diverse population, was the site of the expensive and pivotal showdown between Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Scott, unlike most other top Senate candidates, distanced himself from the president in the campaign. The race was tight Wednesday.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin held on to his seat in West Virginia. Manchin was the only Democrat to vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He has touted his cooperation with the president, and Republicans are expected to court his support in future votes.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who clashed sharply with Trump in the 2016 primary, lined up squarely behind the president en route to his defeat of Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who achieved rock star status on the left.
The Senate Republican agenda is not expected to be nearly as ambitious as the past two years, when the GOP controlled the federal government. The Democratic House takeover will likely be a major impediment to reaching an agreement on most big issues.
Still, the Senate will still have to navigate some high-stakes battles. The Trump administration is preparing for a massive post-midterm shake-up, which could trigger nominations for attorney general and other Cabinet posts the Senate would be tasked with confirming in the months ahead.
McConnell has made confirming federal judges a top priority. That is a task carried out by the Senate alone, and McConnell’s allies said that will continue to be a focal point in the next Congress.
A looming debate over health care and the outcome of a Republican lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act could prompt further consideration of tweaks to the law. Immigration, which Trump and the Republicans made a centerpiece of their midterm pitch, could spark a new debate about border security funding.
Congress will also have to approve or reject a sweeping trade deal Trump spearheaded with Mexico and Canada. More basic tasks such as funding the federal government have proved to be politically challenging in recent years and could be further complicated by an ideological shift on Capitol Hill.