DEVELOPING: Republicans Win Control of US Senate - How Big Will Their Majority Be?

Voters made their voices heard across the country on Tuesday, handing control of the U.S. Senate to the Republican Party for the next two years.

After major flips in West Virginia, Ohio, Montana, and now Pennsylvania, Republicans head into 2025 with a 53-45 majority, and that majority could grow because several Senate contests are still unresolved. Democrats had an uphill climb from the beginning because they were defending 23 seats compared to 11 seats for Republicans.

West Virginia

It started in West Virginia's U.S. Senate race between Republican Gov. Jim Justice and Democrat Glenn Elliot.  Justice was quickly declared the winner as soon as polls closed early in the evening – the first sign Republicans were on track to take control of the Senate.

Before Tuesday's election, Democrats controlled the Senate with a breakdown of 51-49.  Justice's win moved the Senate to a 50-50 split.

Ohio

In an upset, businessman Bernie Moreno then successfully secured the Ohio Senate seat, beating incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.  

The newly-elected senator, who was born in Bogota, Columbia but became a U.S. citizen at age 18, believes, "All elected officials should strive to create a growing middle class where the American Dream is accessible to anyone, regardless of their background," and has centered his campaign around making this possible. 

Moreno's victory marks the second Senate seat of the election to be flipped from Democratic occupancy to Republican.

Montana

In Montana, GOP businessman Tim Sheehy officially ousted three-time Democratic Sen. Jon Tester as vote results became clearer on Wednesday morning.

Sheehy, 38, is a former U.S. Navy SEAL who has found support among the Republican base. His win increased the Republican majority in the Senate to at least 52.

Tester, a third-generation Montana farmer, previously won reelection twice due to his deep roots in the community and strong ties to the Native American population, but an influx of new residents in the state who identify as Republicans may have turned things in Sheehy's favor.  

Pennsylvania

In battleground Pennsylvania, combat veteran and Republican Dave McCormick has successfully defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. The race was very close so it took two days after the election before the result could be verified.

Casey had held this Senate seat for the Democrat Party since 2006. 

In 2022, McCormick attempted a run for Senate but lost in the Republican primary. He has previously served on former President Donald Trump's Defense Advisory Board, as well as undersecretary in the Department of Commerce and the Department of Treasury. In addition to his political experience, he also served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War.  

McCormick's Keystone Agenda to Reclaim America includes lowering costs and creating greater economic opportunity for Pennsylvanians, strengthening our national defense, and supporting a pro-family agenda.  

His 'Day One' goal is to increase border security, implement term limits, protect Social Security and Medicare, and invest in defense infrastructure. 

This flip follows the recent success of both Republican Jim Jordan (WV) and Republican Bernie Moreno (OH) in their respective Senate races, which flipped the Senate from a Democratic majority to Republican.

HERE ARE THE OTHER RACES WE ARE STILL FOLLOWING:

Arizona

In Arizona, Republican Kari Lake is gunning for a Senate seat against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego after former Democrat turned Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema opted to not run for reelection. 

If elected, Gallego, a former Marine, would be the state's first Latino elected to the Senate. He held a nearly 2% lead over Lake with roughly 70% the ballots counted.

Meanwhile, Lake, who closed ground in the final weeks of the race, could become the first Republican woman elected to the Senate from Arizona.

Nevada

In her first re-election bid, Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is looking to hold onto her seat in the Silver State, which had one of the closest Senate races in 2022. 

Forty-year-old businessman Sam Brown is challenging Rosen, although Republicans have not won a seat there since 2012. 

Rosen gained a significant edge over Brown after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race. 

As of the latest count of 91% of the votes, Rosen held a lead of 13,000 votes over Rosen.

DEMOCRATS BARELY HOLD ON TO MICHIGAN AND WISCONSIN:

Michigan

Michigan voters narrowly voted to elect Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin as their new senator rather than Republican former U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers in this battleground contest.

It became an open-seat race after U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow stepped down after more than two decades.

Slotkin, a former CIA agent, had a clear head start, announcing her run shortly after Stabenow's declaration. 

An endorsement from Trump helped Rogers kick his campaign into gear. 

But Slotkin pulled out a squeaker, winning by 19,000 votes out of 5.5 million votes cast with 99 percent of the vote counted.

Wisconsin

Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin declared victory early Wednesday morning in the hotly contested battle for Wisconsin's Senate seat.

Despite a win for Trump in the state, Baldwin narrowly squeezed out a win against challenger Republican Eric Hovde. 

"It is clear that the voters have spoken and our campaign has won," Baldwin said in a statement before AP officially called the race. "The people of Wisconsin have chosen someone who always puts Wisconsin first, someone who shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done."

Baldwin led Hovde by 49.4% to 48.5% as close to 99% of the votes were tabulated. Baldwin officials said the numbers were not final, but the margin, nearly 26, 000 votes, was too big for Houvde to make up.

As the first openly LGBT senator in history, Baldwin has successfully courted rural voters despite her progressive politics. She also became the first statewide Democratic candidate to win an endorsement from the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization, in more than 20 years.

Hovde campaigned on issues like immigration and painted Baldwin as an out-of-touch politician who did little to combat inflation and crime.

This will be Baldwin's third term in the Senate. 

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