Republicans take control of US Senate in November 5 elections

This Tuesday, November 5, the US elections brought a Republican majority to the Senate, overturning the Democratic majority present since 2021. According to CNN estimates, the Republican Party has now secured control of the upper house of Congress.

In a 100-seat Senate, with two seats per state, 51 seats were needed for a majority. American voters also elected the next President of the United States, members of the House of Representatives and 34 seats in the Senate, each of which is elected for a six-year term.

A setback for the Democrats

With this gain, the Republicans dominate at least one of the two chambers of Congress. The House of Representatives, currently held by the Republican Party, remains uncertain, with results still pending in some states, making it impossible to designate a definitive winner.

If Donald Trump wins the presidential race, he will benefit from a favorable Congress to implement his program.

Decisive victories in West Virginia and Ohio

Two Republican victories were key in this swing: in West Virginia, where Donald Trump-backed Governor Jim Justice defeated Democratic candidate Glenn Elliott, and in Ohio, where Bernie Moreno won a narrow victory over incumbent Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, in office since 2007.

A historic step forward for diversity in the Senate

For the first time in its 235-year history, the Senate will have two black women members: Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester, two Democratic senators elected in Maryland and Delaware. Their arrival marks a significant moment for diversity in this institution long dominated by men.