By Adrian Jaulmes
Posted 2 hours ago, updated 1 hour ago
US President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Howard Theater in a Washington neighborhood on November 10, 2022. TOM BRENNER / Portal
The victory of candidate Catherine Cortez Masto, who regains her seat as Senator from Nevada, gives Democrats the 50 seats they need to retain a Senate majority.
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The victory of candidate Catherine Cortez Masto, who regains her seat as Senator from Nevada, gave Democrats the 50 seats they needed to retain a Senate majority. Even though he wins by a narrow majority and a half-point margin over his opponent Adam Laxalt, his success is consolation for the Democrats, who are doing much better than expected in the midterm elections.
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Cortez Masto, the first Hispanic senator, was elected in 2016 but faced a difficult reelection against Laxalt, a former Nevada attorney general who had received the backing of Donald Trump. Nevada was seen as one of the seats within reach for Republicans to win a Senate majority.
After several days of counting, this victory for the Democrats put an end to their hopes. One last seat is up for grabs in Georgia, where incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock will again face Republican opponent Herschel Walker in a runoff on December 6. But Republicans may struggle to mobilize their constituents for a seat that won’t change Democratic leadership.
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“I think this result is because of the quality of our candidates,” Biden said during his Asian tour, “they all showed up in the same program.” Biden said he’s looking forward to the next two years and also hopes to win the runoff in Georgia, which would give the Democrats 51 Senate seats. “The bigger the number, the better,” he said.
The Senate is currently split evenly between the two parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris having the casting vote, but that means Democrats are at the mercy of a dissenting vote, as they may have been in recent years.
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“We’ve done a lot and we will do more for the American people,” said Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader, on Saturday night. “The American people have rejected the anti-democratic, authoritarian, aggressive and divisive direction that MAGA Republicans wanted to give our country.”
The Democratic majority in the Senate will guarantee Joe Biden that he can make appointments without encountering systematic Republican opposition and will veto legislation passed by the House if it comes under their control.
Because the Republicans, on the other hand, have a chance of winning a majority in the lower house. The count continues in certain key constituencies in several states, including California, Arizona and Oregon, where large numbers of mail-in ballots have yet to be opened. Even if the Democrats do not retain control of the House of Representatives, they hope for the shortest possible victory for the Republicans.