The Republican Party secures 51 seats in the Senate thanks to victories in West Virginia and Ohio, where Republicans replace former Democratic senators. Democrats currently hold 42 seats in the Senate.
Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, whom party leaders hoped could defeat Republicans in his solidly red state, was defeated by luxury car dealer Bernie Moreno, writes The New York Times. Brown's loss came after West Virginia Governor Jim Justice easily won the seat vacated by the retiring Senator Joe Manchin, who was a Democrat for most of his Senate career but became an independent this year.
As NYT writes, Republicans, whose campaigns appear to benefit from Donald Trump's results, may increase their new majority, given the very tight races in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, as well as the Republican advantage in Montana.
The loss of the majority led by Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, was a major disappointment for Democrats, who hoped to pave the way to maintaining power. But the task of defending seats in states that went to Trump proved too challenging. The battle for control of the Senate mainly focused on Ohio and Montana—two Democrat-controlled states that Trump won in 2016 and 2020, and on Tuesday night, he won again decisively.
In the House of Representatives elections, Republicans lead with 177 seats against 143 for Democrats, but neither party has yet secured the necessary 218 seats to control the lower house of Congress.