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Republicans are projected to clinch control of the Senate after flipping at least two key states and successfully protecting their incumbents.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice took the seat vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia independent who caucuses with Democrats. And businessman Bernie Moreno, the Ohio GOP Senate nominee, unseated three-term Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, and Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz two lawmakers in red-leaning states who were Democrats‘ best pickoff opportunities, are also projected to win reelection, while Nebraska GOP Sen. Deb Fischer was projected to beat an independent challenger.
With Democrats currently holding a 51-49 majority in the Senate, these wins will now at least deliver a 51-seat majority for Republicans, barring any upsets. Republicans also have a prime opportunity to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in deep-red Montana, though the results of that race have not yet been projected by ABC News.
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Maintaining control of the Senate was always going to be a daunting task for Democrats, who entered the 2024 election cycle with a brutal map.
Democrats were defending seats in Montana and Ohio, two red states, as well as a slate of purple states, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The GOP-held seats in Florida and Texas were their best flip opportunities, though Democratic nominees there faced headwinds due to the lean of the states and former President Donald Trump’s strength there.
It remains to be seen precisely how big Republicans‘ margin will be — none of the purple state races have yet been called.
