The latest on the balance of power in Congress
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The election scrambled seats in the House and Senate but ultimately left Congress much like it began – likely split.
The Associated Press has not officially called the balance of power for the Senate and House of Representatives.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on track to keep control of the Democratic House, but saw her majority shrinking.
Republicans’ control of the Senate tilted their way as GOP senators fended off challengers, though a few races remained undecided Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday he’s confident “no matter who ends up running the government” they’ll be “trying to overcome all that and get results.”
While Democrats picked up must-win seats in Colorado and Arizona, they suffered a setback in Alabama with incumbent Doug Jones losing to Tommy Tuberville, and Republicans held their own in one race after another — in South Carolina, Maine, Iowa, Texas, Kansas and Montana, dramatically limiting Democrats’ hopes of making inroads.
Securing the Senate majority will be vital for the winner of the presidency. Senators confirm administration nominees, including for the Cabinet, and can propel or stall the White House agenda. With Republicans now controlling the chamber 53-47, three or four seats will determine party control, depending on who wins the presidency because the vice president can break a tie in the Senate.
The final breakdown awaited the outcome of races in Alaska and North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has struggled against Democrat Cal Cunningham, despite the married challenger’s sexting scandal with a public relations strategist.
In Georgia, two seats were being contested and at least one is headed to a runoff after no candidate reached the 50% threshold to win.
GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face Democrat Raphael Warnock, a Black pastor at the church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached, in the Jan. 5 runoff.
In the other Georgia race, GOP Sen. David Perdue, the former business executive Trump calls his favorite senator, tried to stave off Democrat Jon Ossoff. It, too, could go to a runoff.
