PHOENIX, Nov. 12 (Reuters) - Democrats will take control of the US Senate after Senator Catherine Cortez Masto wins re-election in Nevada, Edison Research projected on Saturday, handing President Joe Biden a landslide victory.
However, Republicans remain close to winning control of the US House of Representatives as officials continue to count ballots cast in Tuesday's US midterm elections.
Cortez Masto beat Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, the former state attorney general who was backed by former President Donald Trump.
With Masto winning after Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly won re-election in Arizona Friday night, Democrats will control at least 50 Senate seats, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cut ties in the 100-member chamber.
"America is showing that we believe in our democracy, that the roots of democracy are deep and strong," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, told a news conference.
The Senate is currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans. The newly elected Senate will be sworn in on January 3.
Continued control of the Senate means Democrats can still approve Biden's nominee like a federal judge. If a vacancy opens within the next two years, that means someone gets appointed to the Supreme Court.
If Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock wins Georgia's December 6 runoff against Republican challenger Herschel Walker, it will expand the Democratic majority to 51-49. That would give Democrats an added advantage in passing multiple bills that could go forward by a simple majority, instead of the 60 needed for most bills.
It would also weaken the influence of Democratic Senators Joe Manchin in West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, vote "swings" that have blocked or delayed several key Biden initiatives, including the expansion of some social programs.
WASHINGTON STATE DISTURBANCE
It could be several days or more before the results of enough Council elections are known to determine which party will hold the majority in the 435-seat chamber. Republicans continue to have the lead, but payback is still pouring in for some races, including many in liberal-leaning California.
Biden, speaking in Cambodia, said his party would focus on winning Georgia's Senate election, but on the prospects of retaining control of the House, he said: "It's tough."
House Republicans, if they win, have vowed to try to roll back Biden's victory in fighting climate change and want to make a series of 2017 tax cuts that will end permanently. They have also planned an investigation into the activities of the Biden administration and an investigation into the president's son, who has conducted business dealings with Ukraine and China.
The Democrats scored a significant upset Saturday with a projected victory in Washington's 3rd congressional district, where Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defeated Trump-backed Joe Kent.
In Nevada, Democrat Cisco Aguilar won the race to become the next secretary of state, the top election official. He defeated Jim Marchant, a Republican who supported Trump's false claim that he lost the 2020 election to Biden due to voter fraud.
Democrats also beat Republican candidates in Michigan and Arizona who had backed Trump's trumped-up claims and are seeking to become their states' top election officials.
The Democrats got an important boost Friday night when Kelly, the Democrat senator for Arizona, is expected to retain her seat, defeating the Republican Blake Masters, who like Laxalt is backed by Trump. The Masters have yet to concede a race.
"We've seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on past conspiracies than on solving the challenges we face today," said Kelly, a former Navy fighter pilot and astronaut, in a brief victory speech. to supporters in Phoenix on Saturday.
There is no projected winner yet in the Arizona gubernatorial race, where Democrat Katie Hobbs leads a narrow lead over Republican Kari Lake, another pro-Trump election denier.
LEGAL NOMINATIONS RESERVED
The Democratic-controlled Senate will provide assurances to Biden that his nominees to fill dozens of federal judge posts will win confirmation. That will be especially important for Democrats if seats on the Supreme Court, which now have a 6-3 conservative majority, open in the last two years of Biden's term.
When the outgoing Senate returns Monday for a post-election work session that could last until the end of December, Schumer aims to quickly confirm two more federal judges who are awaiting a final vote.
Hovering over the 2022 midterm elections all year round is Trump, who is using his continued popularity among right-wing conservatives to influence the Republican-nominated candidates for congressional, gubernatorial, and local elections.
With the Republican Party's sluggish performance on Tuesday - even if they win a narrow majority in the House - Trump has been blamed for pushing a candidate who was unable to appeal to a broad enough electorate.
A Republican defeat in Georgia could further dent Trump's popularity as advisers say he is considering announcing a third presidential bid in 2024 this week. This article was written by EDUKASI CAMPUS.