After four years, Republicans won a majority of at least 52 seats in the 100-member US Senate. In their calculations, the AP agency and the CNN news station agree on this. In addition, Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential election, and the Republican majority in the Senate can make it easier for him to push his electoral agenda. The new balance of power in the House of Representatives, where the Republicans have so far held the majority, is unclear for now. According to the interim results, however, the Republicans are leading here as well.
Republicans will hold at least 52 of the 100 seats in the Senate, up from 49. The Democrats, according to CNN’s projections so far, will have at least 42 seats, according to Fox News, at least 43 seats. The remaining seats have not yet been decided.
Who will lead the Republican majority in the Senate remains open. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who is also Kentucky’s longest-serving senator, announced this year that he would step down from the leadership post.
According to AP, Republican Jim Justice, who is serving as governor in this American state, has become the new senator for West Virginia. Justice won the senatorship from Joe Manchin, who was a Democrat but affiliated with an independent. Manchin did not seek re-election.
In Ohio, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown was defeated by Republican Bernie Moreno, giving the GOP another important seat for control of the Senate. The Republican majority in the Senate was further strengthened by Tim Sheehy, who defeated Democrat Jon Tester, who served three terms.
The senatorial seat in the democratic stronghold of Vermont was defended as an independent by 83-year-old Bernie Sanders, who won his fourth six-year senatorial mandate in a row. Sanders, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in the past, describes himself as a democratic socialist. He justified his re-candidacy by saying that the country is facing the most complex and serious challenges of the modern era.
Democrats have so far held a majority of 51 seats in the Senate, thanks to 47 of their mandates and the support of four independent senators. In the current elections, a third of the seats changed. Should the balance of power be equal, the US Vice President, who by virtue of his position is also the President of the Senate, has the deciding vote at the session of this congressional chamber.
In the case of the House of Representatives, voters elect all 435 legislators every two years. The majority in the form of 220 mandates has been held by Republicans so far. According to CNN, they will have at least 204 seats in the newly formed lower chamber, Democrats at least 182. According to NBC News, the ratio is now even 206 to 182. A majority of 218 seats is needed.
If the Republicans were to regain control of the House of Representatives as well, it would mean that they should be able to push through all of Trump’s agenda without any problems. Moreover, it cannot be expected that the Supreme Court, where conservative judges have a six-to-three majority, would stand in her way.
Source: www.tyden.cz
