Democrats will keep control of the Senate

Democrats kept control of the Senate yesterday, repelling Republican efforts to retake the chamber and making it harder for them to thwart President Joe Biden’s agenda.

The fate of the House was still uncertain as the GOP struggled to pull together a slim majority there.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory in Nevada gave Democrats the 50 seats they needed to keep the Senate. Her win reflects the surprising strength of Democrats across the US this election year. Seeking reelection in an economically challenged state that has some of the highest gas prices in the nation, Cortez Masto was considered the Senate’s most vulnerable member, adding to the frustration of Republicans who were confident she could be defeated.

‘‘We got a lot done and we’ll do a lot more for the American people,’’ Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N. Y., said. ‘‘The American people rejected – soundly rejected – the anti-democratic, authoritarian, nasty and divisive direction the MAGA Republicans wanted to take our country.’’

With the results in Nevada now decided, Georgia is the only state where both parties are still competing for a Senate seat. Democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock faces GOP challenger Herschel Walker in a December 6 runoff. Alaska’s Senate race has advanced to ranked choice voting, though the seat will stay in Republican hands.

Democratic control of the Senate ensures a smoother process for Biden’s Cabinet appointments and judicial picks, including those for potential Supreme Court openings. The party will also keep control over committees and have the power to conduct investigations or oversight of the Biden administration, and will be able to reject legislation sent over by the House if the GOP wins that chamber.

If Democrats manage to pull off a win in the House, it would mean full control of Congress for Democrats – and another chance to advance Biden priorities, which he has said include codifying abortion rights. The party still lacks the 60 votes in the Senate needed to move many kinds of major legislative changes.

The Senate fight had hinged on a handful of deeply contested seats. Both parties spent tens of millions of dollars in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, the top battlegrounds where Democrats had hoped that Republicans’ decision to nominate untested candidates – many backed by former President Donald Trump – would help them defy national headwinds. –AP