Tuesday’s elections could be counted as a split decision in that the Democrats regained a slim margin of control in the House of Representatives while Republicans maintained their hold on the Senate, and even added a net four seats. But of the two chambers, the Senate was a far more significant outcome for several reasons.
First off, the Senate contest can be seen as a harbinger of the 2020 elections, and a trouncing in the Senate races, which more closely correlate to national political trends, could have been a serious red flag to the GOP standard-bearer, President Trump. But not only did Trump’s party keep the upper chamber, it increased its majority. And in several of the most hotly contested races, Cruz vs. O’Rourke in Texas, and Blackburn vs. Bredesen in Tennessee among others, Trump actively campaigned on their behalf. “Donald Trump went out and worked his tail off,” said Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), who heads the Senate GOP’s campaign committee. He cited Trump rallies that drew thousands in crucial states during the campaign’s closing weeks and offered, “The president was THE factor.”
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