(Fwrd Axis) — Democrats are projected to keep control of the U.S. Senate after defeating several candidates backed by former President Donald Trump, providing relief to President Joe Biden for the final two years of his term.
Democrats officially retained control with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada defeating Republican Adam Laxalt to win re-election on Saturday night.
“Thank you, Nevada!” Cortez Masto said in a tweet, thanking her supporters for delivering a come-from-behind win.
Thank you, Nevada! pic.twitter.com/NORNR52wp8
— Catherine Cortez Masto (@CortezMasto) November 13, 2022
The news comes after Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona won re-election on Friday night as he defeated Blake Masters, which put Democrats on the brink of retaining control. Both Laxalt and Masters were endorsed by Trump and promoted his false claims about the 2020 election.
Masto’s win means Democrats will hold the Senate regardless of the outcome of the Georgia runoff on December 9 between Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. A win by Walker would see the Senate with a 50-50 split with Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for Democrats.
Meanwhile, a Warnock win would free up Harris’s schedule as the Democrats would have an extra vote, which would be critical in a Senate where the party has been put in a bind by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Biden will now be able to count on the Senate to confirm his judicial and administration appointments, which would have been blocked if Republicans took control of the chamber.
The loss is seen as a major disappointment for the Republicans, which predicted a “red wave” would give the party commanding control of the House and Senate. However, neither appeared with voters being turned off by MAGA candidates endorsed by Trump. Following the defeat, Trump along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy all faced backlash.
“The old party is dead. Time to bury it. Build something new,” Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley.
Despite Biden being unpopular, most voters said they were disappointed or angry about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
