A question almost as important as “who will be the next president?” is “who will control the U.S. Senate?” With three distinct branches of government, a congressional majority is crucial.
Out of 35 total races, nearly two-thirds featured a Republican incumbent, with about half of those candidates vulnerable. President Donald Trump and the party benefited from favorable 2016 and 2018 maps, but 2020 was harder.
Here’s a breakdown of key results thus far:
- Starting in Arizona, Martha McSally lost to Mark Kelly, to the surprise of few.
- Cory Gardner lost his seat after one solid term in deep blue Colorado to former Gov. John Hickenlooper.
- Despite never leading in polls, and her opponent spending over $70 million, Susan Collins cruised to an improbable fifth term.
- Thom Tillis survived a challenge from Cal Cunningham in a hotly-contested North Carolina race.
- In Georgia’s special Senate election, Kelly Loeffler is headed to a runoff against Raphael Warnock. In the state’s other race, incumbent David Perdue is also officially headed to a January runoff; after barely failing to hit 50%, he again faces “investigative journalist” Jon Ossoff.
- Joni Ernst received a well-deserved second term in Iowa.
- John James was on the verge of shocking Gary Peters in Michigan, but Democrats added tens of thousands of ballots Wednesday afternoon, giving the incumbent a close win.
- Jason Lewis was unable to be the first Minnesota Republican to win a statewide race in 12 years.
- Alabama expectedly flipped back after former football coach Tommy Tuberville unseated Doug Jones.
Some felt races in Montana and Texas could be in play but all Republican incumbents easily survived.
Incumbents in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and West Virginia also prevailed; newcomers won in Kansas, Tennessee and Wyoming.
Lastly, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham survived in Kentucky and South Carolina, respectively, despite $100 million spent against each of them.
So the GOP has a strong, but not yet guaranteed, chance of retaining the Senate, which is imperative in a potential Joe Biden presidency.
A full map can be found here.
A.J. Kaufman
A.J. Kaufman is an Alpha News columnist. His work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Israel National News, Orange County Register, St. Cloud Times, Star-Tribune, and across AIM Media Midwest and the Internet. Kaufman previously worked as a school teacher and military historian.