Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:59 pm
Mitch McConnell’s dreams of returning to being Senate Majority Leader were crushed as Democrats won the Nevada Senate race and kept their majority.
Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won election to a second term representing Nevada on Saturday, defeating Republican Adam Laxalt to clinch the party’s control of the chamber for the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency.
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With Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s victory in Arizona on Friday, Democrats now hold a 50-49 edge in the Senate. The party will retain control of the chamber, no matter how next month’s Georgia runoff plays out, by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote.
Mitch McConnell not being Senate Majority Leader is a big deal because it means that President Biden will be able to continue his record pace of judicial confirmations and continue to undo the damage done to the courts by Trump and McConnell.
If there is a Supreme Court vacancy in the next two years, it will definitely be filled, as Mitch McConnell will not be in a position to keep the seat open until after the presidential election.
From a practical political perspective, a Democratic Senate means that if Republicans take control of the House, they will have no leverage. Anything the House passes will die in the Democratic Senate.
The midterm election has become an even bigger disaster. Instead of winning a Senate seat to take the majority, Republicans might, depending on the outcome of the Georgia runoff, lose a seat and strengthen the Democratic majority.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
