Republicans claim Senate majority, end Democrats’ four-year hold

Republicans secured a majority in the Senate following key victories in West Virginia and Ohio. Senators will decide a new majority leader. — Image credit: Getty Images

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Republicans secured a majority in the Senate following key victories in West Virginia and Ohio. The 2024 general election results ended Democrats’ four-year majority in the chamber, with the current balance of power now at 51-49.

The Senate was previously split 50-50 for two years, with Democrats holding a narrow majority through Vice President Harris’ tie-breaking vote. This shift will impact cabinet and judicial confirmations during the next presidential administration.

Update: Donald Trump projected to win 2024 presidential election: DDHQ

Senior Senate Democrats had indicated that, had they maintained the majority, they would reconsider ending the filibuster to pass voting rights and abortion legislation.

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The big question now is who will lead the majority. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is stepping down as Senate Republican leader after serving as the longest-tenured leader in history.

Three candidates are vying for the position: John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott. Thune, from South Dakota, currently serves as Republican Whip, managing votes and convincing holdouts to support party priorities. Cornyn, from Texas, previously served as Whip but was term-limited, while Scott, who led the National Republican Senatorial Committee and challenged McConnell for leadership in 2022, garnered only 10 votes compared to McConnell’s 37.

Alex Delia (Producer) and Ally Heath (Digital Producer) contributed to this report.

Tags: 2024 Elections, Bernie Moreno, Election, Jim Justice, John Cornyn, John Thune, Mitch McConnell, Ohio, Republicans, Rick Scott, U.S. Senate, West Virginia

Republicans won a majority in the Senate with key victories in West Virginia and Ohio pushing them over the top.

This ends Democrats’ four-year, razor-thin majority. The current balance of power is 51-49 but for two of those years the senate was split 50-50 and Democrats only had a majority with Vice President Harris as the tie-breaking vote.

This will have a significant impact on cabinet and judicial confirmations during the next presidential administration.

It’s also significant because senior Senate Democrats said if they held the majority they would reconsider ending the filibuster to pass voting rights and abortion legislation.

The big question now is – who will be the majority leader? Mitch McConnell is stepping down from the position after becoming the longest serving in history.

There are three candidates – John Thune, John Cornyn and Rick Scott.

Thune is from South Dakota and currently serves as the Republican Whip, or the number two. He’s in charge of counting how republicans will vote on certain bills and trying to convince holdouts to support the party’s legislative priorities.

Cornyn is from Texas and previously served as whip but had to step down because he was term-limited.

Scott previously served as the head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, their campaign arm. He also challenged McConnell for leader in 2022 but only received 10 votes compared to McConnell’s 37.