House likely Republican as well, Hoyle leads in Oregon 4th district.

The Republican party successfully reached a Senate majority, flipping the West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana Senate seats. It is possible that Republicans will also flip the Pennsylvania and Nevada Senate seats, giving them 54 total seats. Though the exact party ratio is unknown for the Senate, what is clear is that it will be  Republican-controlled. The breakdown of the House of Representatives remains unclear, with 182 elected Democrats and 201 Republicans. As of now, only one seat has flipped for the GOP and votes are still being counted.

The term “divided congress” refers to when the majority parties of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are different. Currently, the 118th Congress is divided, with a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. A divided congress raises concerns for many, as it could significantly lower the productivity of the 119th Congress. While a Democratic majority Senate may pass a bill with ease, its Republican counterpart House could easily strike it down.

Similarly, a “divided government” is when one party controls the executive branch and another party controls at least one house in Congress. Under the Biden administration, the American government was considered divided. Though divided governments often reduce the performance of the legislative branch and the government as a whole, they also tend to encourage more compromise across the aisle.

With a Trump victory in the White House and a Republican-controlled Senate, the House majority will decide whether congress and the government will be divided or not. If the Republican party achieves majority control in the House of Representatives, it could set up the Trump Administration for an extremely productive term.

Notable Wins

Bernie Sanders (I) won the Vermont Senate seat, becoming one of the oldest senators in history. Sanders will finish this term at 89 years old.

Bernie Moreno (R) successfully flipped the Ohio senate seat, beating three term incumbent Sherrod Brown (D).

Ted Cruz (R) won reelection for his Texas Senate seat, beating challenger Colin Allred (D).

Tim Sheehy (R) won the senate race in Montana, ousting incumbent Jon Tester (D).

Third Party Run

The results are in for the Nebraska Senate race. Republican candidate Deb Fischer ran a tight race against her nonpartisan opponent Dan Osborn. The final breakdown showed 51.9 percent of the vote going to Fischer and 48.1 percent going to Osborn.

Dan Osborn, a labor leader, mechanic, Navy veteran, and political newcomer, ran on a moderate platform. His top priorities are tax cuts for small businesses and the middle class, securing the southern border, and protecting social security for all U.S. citizens. Osborn has consistently denied caucusing with either the Democrat or Republican party, combatting Republican claims that he is a “democrat in disguise.”  

Deb Fischer was initially elected as Nebraska’s third female senator in 2012. Fischer favors a national abortion ban and supports the Supreme Court decision in overturning Roe v. Wade. She also expressed support for the Supreme Court decision in Bostock vs. Clayton County—a decision that extended Civil Rights Act protections to queer workers. Fischer’s main priorities are improving public infrastructure, reducing federal spending, and ensuring more well paying jobs for Americans.

Hoyle Leads in Oregon’s 4th

After a bid for a second term, Val Hoyle was leading on Nov. 6 by nine points over Monique DeSpain for Oregon’s 4th Congressional Seat, though the election has not yet been called. The Democrat Representative’s top priorities are reproductive health, climate and environment, and inflation and cost of living. 

In her last two years in Congress, Hoyle was among seven Democrat voters for H.R.497, a bill that lifted COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. Hoyle was also one of 56 Democrats who voted for H.Con.Res.21, a resolution mandating Biden to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. She was also one of 46 Democrats who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, a bill that suspended the debt limit until January 2025. 

Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Hoyle was elected as Oregon’s Labor Commissioner in 2018. Before that, Hoyle was elected to Oregon’s State Legislature–and eventually to the majority leader position–where she led successful efforts to increase Oregon’s minimum wage, provide paid sick leave for workers, and expand Oregon’s Clean Fuels program to reduce carbon emissions.

Monique DeSpain, her opponent, ran a platform prioritizing border security, veterans’ issues, and public safety and crime. DeSpain spent 30 years in military service–serving in the Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Oregon Air National Guard. During 20 of those years, DeSpain worked as a lawyer within the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. DeSpain also has experience in the private sector, working as a Corporate General Counsel. 

More recently, DeSpain joined the nonpartisan nonprofit Common Sense for Oregon in 2022, formulating policies to target crime, homelessness, and addiction in Oregon.

Article by Zev Wacks