US elections 2022-Democrats retained the majority in the Senate

Democrats achieved the magic figure of 50 seats in Senate after winning the seat from Nevada

Democrats maintained their majority in the Senate after winning the crucial race in Nevada. Democrats have defied the expectations to keep the majority in the Senate. Democrats showed better performance in the midterm elections 2022 than most of the experts and political analysts predicted.

Democratic US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has defeated Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump. With Masto’s victory coming on the heels of Democratic senator Mark Kelly winning re-election in Arizona late on Friday, the win takes the Democrats to the crucial number of 50 seats in the Senate, with the Republicans at 49.

The race in Georgia is set to go to a runoff in December, but even if Republicans win there, a 50-50 split means the Senate would effectively be controlled by the Democrats because the tying vote falls to the vice-president, Kamala Harris.

For the Republicans, it was another blow after they steeply underperformed in many races. The party had touted hopes of a “red wave” that could sweep across the US and deliver the upper chamber of Congress into their hands. Instead with a few exceptions, such as Florida the wave was more of a trickle.

The Democrat win in the Senate is likely to prompt further recrimination in Republican circles over who is to blame for the poor showing. Much attention has so far focused on Trump after he backed rightwing or celebrity candidates in several key races who lost, such as Dr Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the loss of the Senate will focus minds sharply on Trump’s ongoing dominance of the Republican party. Fissures have opened up, with some prominent Republican figures openly appealing to Trump not to announce a 2024 run, as he is widely expected to do next week.

Trump himself has lashed out at popular Republican figures who may rival him, such as the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, who was a rare Republican success in the midterms as he easily won re-election and flipped several once strong Democrat districts, especially in Miami.

                                                                     Khalid Bhatti