Mother Jones illustration; Matt Rourke/AP, Jeff Dean/AP, Morry Gash/AP
The Republican Party is on track to win control of the Senate, a significant victory that will allow the GOP to exercise power over judicial appointments and executive branch appointees.
If Trump retakes the White House, GOP Senate control will clear his path to make significant changes to the judiciary, including possibly appointing multiple Supreme Court justices. A GOP Senate is also likely to handily approve his Cabinet picks and other appointments, allowing Trump to place loyalist allies throughout the government.
The Senate map favored Republicans, and left Democrats on defense.
If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, a Republican Senate would block her judicial picks, possibly her Cabinet picks, and her legislative priorities.
The Senate map favored Republicans this cycle. While Democrats were more broadly on the defense, only three Republicans were in tight reelection races, and all three were in red states where the incumbent Republican was likely to win. Meanwhile, with the retirement of West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin, Republicans were destined a pickup in the GOP-voting state. His decision not to seek reelection almost guaranteed, at minimum, a tied Senate, and the GOP still had several prospects for picking up new seats.
Several vulnerable Democrats were running for reelection in swing states and red states, providing Republicans with many opportunities to pick up seats and secure a majority. In Ohio, incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown, a progressive and longtime union ally, lost his race to Bernie Moreno, who made millions running a car dealership empire with a history of worker exploitation. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin ran against Eric Hovde, another millionaire whom she attacked for spending most of his time in California.
And while the overall map was difficult for Democrats, in the final months of the race, it became clear that Republican Sen. Deb Fischer, from the solidly red state of Nebraska, was in a surprisingly tight race against independent Dan Osborn.