Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto will retain her Nevada seat, defeating Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. This victory gives the Democrats control of the Senate.
Cortez Masto was a two-term state attorney general and made history in 2016 as the first Latina elected to the Senate, succeeding Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who served eight years as Senate Majority Leader.
Laxalt, who had the support of both former President Donald Trump and Senate Mitch McConnell, was one of the leaders of Trump’s effort in Nevada to overturn the then-president’s 2020 loss in the state to President Biden.
Historically, midterm elections have served as a referendum on the president and his administration. Usually, the opposition eliminates a large number of legislators belonging to the party in power. But this has not been the case this year. Incredibly, control of the House of Representatives is still undetermined because many races are too close. This is unprecedented in modern political memory.
The Republicans may end up with a majority in the House, but it will probably be very slim.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), chairman of the Republican National Senatorial Committee, called the midterms a “complete disappointment.” And he added that the GOP “didn’t have enough positive messaging,” even though its job was to get Republicans elected.
