Democrats defy 'red wave' to keep Senate control

PHOENIX: Democrats took a victory lap on Sunday after retaining control of the U.S. Senate, defying Republican hopes for a “red wave” in the midterm elections, and turned their attention to Georgia where a run-off contest could strengthen their hand in Congress.

Democratic leaders portrayed the better-than-expected performance as vindication of their agenda and a rebuke of election denialism and extremist candidates on the right, even as Republicans edged towards control of the House of Representatives with a handful of key races yet to be called.

“We were on the edge of autocracy and thank God the American people pulled us back in this election,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference on Sunday.

Senate control was clinched late Saturday by Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, who defeated former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. That put Democrats in charge of a 50-50 Senate, by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.

A Democratic victory in a Georgia runoff on Dec. 6 between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker would give the party outright majority control, bolstering its sway over committees, bills, and judicial picks.

“We’re focusing now on Georgia. We feel good about where we are,” President Joe Biden said on the sidelines of a meeting of Southeast Asian heads of government in Cambodia on Sunday.

Republicans, however, remained close to seizing control of the House as officials continued counting ballots, with returns still flowing in for several races, including many in liberal-leaning California.

As of Sunday, Republicans had won 211 seats and the Democrats 206, with 218 needed for a majority. It could take several days before the outcome of enough House races is known to determine which party will control the 435-seat chamber.

Republicans were set to take their tally to 212 house seats by picking up Oregon’s 5th congressional district, which includes suburbs of Portland and Salem, the Associated Press projected Sunday evening. Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former mayor of Happy Valley, a Portland suburb, defeated progressive Democrat Jamie McLeod-Skinner, according to the AP.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, told ABC News and CNN that she would not make any announcements about whether she planned to remain in House leadership until after control of the chamber was decided. There had been speculation she would resign if Democrats lost the majority, especially after her husband was attacked by an intruder at their San Francisco home last month.

House Republicans, should they prevail, have pledged to try to roll back Biden-led legislation to battle climate change and want to make permanent a series of 2017 tax cuts set to expire. They also have vowed investigations into Biden administration activities and probes of the president’s son, who has had business dealings with Ukraine and China.

Jim Banks, a Republican congressman from Indiana, said on Sunday that he expected his party to win a slim majority in the House and serve as “the last line of defense to block the Biden agenda,” while launching investigations into the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the origin of COVID and pandemic lockdowns.

“That has to be a focal point of every single committee in the Congress, especially in the House under Republican control,” Banks said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday”.