The voters of Nevada and the nation may have done Republicans and the country a favor by freeing the GOP of Donald Trump’s iron grip, writes David Axelrod. The people dealt a blow to Trump and extremists and election-denying Republicans, he says.
To paraphrase a prominent American politician, Saturday’s late news from Nevada was a big effing deal.
That politician was Joe Biden, who whispered that salty line (in fuller form) to then-President Barack Obama a dozen years ago at the signing of the Affordable Care Act, only to have it captured on a hot mic.
Biden would be forgiven if he had shouted it again from the rooftops of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he’s attending an Asian summit, when he learned that Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto was projected to win reelection in the Silver State, guaranteeing Democrats’ continued control of the US Senate.
It was the latest turn in an astonishing midterm election week during which Democrats defied history and a raft of downbeat metrics to score unexpected victories across the country.
Few pundits, politicians or pollsters would have guessed that on the same night that Cortez Masto secured the Senate for the Democrats, Republicans would still be scuffling to win the necessary seats to seize back control of the House of Representatives.
Republicans taking the House was thought to be a slam dunk. Now if they get there, it’s clear it will be by the barest of margins — a slim majority hard to control and difficult to defend when the House is up again in two years.
Senate Republicans also were confident going into Election Day about their chances to break the 50-50 deadlock that has given Democrats control of the Senate on the strength of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote. Now Harris’ vote may not even be needed if Democrats and Sen. Raphael Warnock tackle Herschel Walker in the Georgia runoff on December 6 and claim a 51st seat.
No one needs to explain to Biden the meaning of control of the Senate, where he spent almost half his life.
Democrats will continue to control the agenda on the Senate floor and in committees, which is no small thing — particularly if Republicans take the House.
What’s more, the Senate has sole authority to confirm judicial nominations and key executive appointments, which is critical, even if a Republican House blocks other major Biden initiatives.
