There was some shock at the outcome of last week’s election.
But when it comes to control of the House and Senate, things generally landed in the range anticipated by many learned observers.
There was a high probability of a Republican Senate – with the GOP likely having a seat or two to cushion a majority.
The House of Representatives was expected to be close. The forecast was that the House breakdown would probably reflect the split between the majority and minority today. The only question was which party would be in the majority. And there was a high likelihood that control of the House would mirror the outcome of the Presidential election.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE MEANING OF A REPUBLICAN SENATE – AND WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE HOUSE
While House Republicans, led by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., are on track to retain a narrow majority, Senate Democrats, helmed by Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were resoundingly defeated last Tuesday. (Reuters)
You know the rest.
The House is close, likely in Republican hands. When everything is settled, Republicans will likely have between 221-223 seats. The Senate moved to the GOP – with a few pickups.
So say what you will about the Presidential election. But very few predictions about the House and Senate were off.
In the Senate, the map always favored Republicans. The GOP would probably score an immediate pickup with Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.V., claiming the seat of retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., who caucused with the Democrats.
Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Jon Tester, D-Mont., were the most-endangered Democrats up this cycle. Both represented states which heavily supported President-elect Trump. But Brown and Tester consistently proved they could win their races in challenging environments. Plus, there was something else going for them: Brown and Tester always appearing on the ballot in Democratic years: 2006, 2012 and 2018.
Democrats won the House and Senate in 2006. That was the “six-year itch” election…
