On Tuesday, November 5, Republicans won two US Senate seats previously held by Democrats, and the presidential election became a tight fight for control of Congress. The Republicans thus obtained the majority in the Senate, with 51 seats on the Republican side compared to 49 on the Democratic side. The gap could widen further overnight. Until then, Democrats had a very narrow majority in the Senate, 51 seats to 49.
With the support of Donald Trump, Jim Justice won the senatorial election in West Virginia, a rural and mountainous state, formerly known for its coal mines. The seat was held by Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned independent, who did not run for re-election. In this right-wing state, the Republican victory was expected.
Republican Bernie Moreno also won the Senate elections in Ohio there, changing a seat that until now had been Democratic, an important gain for Donald Trump’s side. After an especially close vote, Bernie Moreno, a 57-year-old former auto dealer born in Colombia, narrowly defeated Democrat Sherrod Brown, in office since 2007.
At the same time, Nebraska Republican Senator Deb Fischer managed to retain her seat against independent candidate Dan Osborn.
First transgender person elected to Congress
Jim Justice was re-elected governor of West Virginia in 2020. The State Constitution limits the exercise to two consecutive terms, noted the upper house of Congress. During the Nov. 5 vote, 34 of the Senate’s 100 seats were up for grabs. Democrats had the difficult task of having to defend two-thirds of them.
It should be noted that, for the first time in more than two hundred years of existence, the Senate will include two black women: Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester, two Democrats. They will represent Maryland and Delaware, respectively, in this male-dominated chamber.
The 435 seats in the House of Representatives were also up for renewal on November 5.
The verdict of the polls will determine whether the winner of the presidential elections will be able to implement his program in agreement with Congress or if he will have to wait for blockages or even impasses.
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Democrat Sarah McBride, 34, became the first transgender person elected to Congress this Tuesday, where she will represent her state of Delaware in the House of Representatives. Until then, he held a position in the local Senate of this small state in the northeast of the United States.
