Republicans are projected to retake control of the U.S. Senate for the next two years, flipping seats from blue to red in West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio, states that have swung heavily to the GOP.
The GOP also retained its lead in Texas and Florida. Next week, Senate Republicans are expected to select a new Senate Majority Leader as Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) steps down. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) are looking like contenders for the role.
Meanwhile, as all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election this year, control of the House is likely to come down to a few dozen races.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Democrats are expected to win at leasy 203 seats to Republicans’ 211; to gain the majority, a party needs 218 seats. Right now, Republicans hold a slim majority with 220.
