Election 2020 is ongoing. States are continuing their tallies, tabulating ballots, and releasing to the public. However, it is evident that Election 2020 may not be clear for days, weeks, or longer due to the results coming forth in highly contested states. However, in parts of the country we can make more clear-eyed statements of the results. Congressional and Senate races have not gone according to plan for Democrats hoping for a Blue Wave.
One of the biggest takeaways thus far is this: Republicans have appeared to keep their position of power as the Senate majority and have gained seats in the House of Representatives.
According to Fox News, Democrats were hoping to gain anywhere from 5-15 seats in the House, but instead appear to have their majority shrinking. “…so far, across the board, House Democrats have consistently failed to flip seats held by vulnerable Republicans, and repeatedly lost districts Democrats flipped from red to blue in 2018. They could also stand to lose seats in New York, Michigan and California.” While the exact numbers are not currently clear, it appears that Republicans may hold anywhere from 208-212 seats in the next Congress.
As all the results are thus far unofficial, we can only surmise the state of the Senate race from projections as well. This also varies by source. RealClearPoltitics, for instance, cites that from what is known at this point, 45 Senate seats can safely be called for the Democrats, while 46 can safely be called for the Republicans. CNN projects a current 47-47 tie. ABC News currently projects that currently the GOP holds a 48-45 seat advantage. One of the most pivotal races was in South Carolina, where it is reported that Democrats spent over $200m to defeat incumbent Lindsey Graham. He has already declared victory. From The Chicago Tribune: “This victory is an answer to a lot of prayers,” Graham told supporters Tuesday night in Columbia. “To those of you who have been following this race from afar, I hope you got the message. If you don’t get this message, it’s hopeless.” When looking at the aggregate of current projections, it appears that the Senate is in the hands of the GOP, including highly contested seats which were essential to win.
Moving forward there is ultimately much to be looking out for in the coming days and weeks. The nation is anxiously waiting as states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada continue to tabulate their votes. The status of this election is plainly, in flux. The president’s campaign has filed suit in Pennsylvania, citing the obstruction of their poll watchers from meaningful access to the ballots during counting. They are also threatening to bring suit in Arizona and Nevada. In Georgia, a small percentage of ballots is taking longer to count than the other 98% of ballots cast. North Carolina has also counted well over 90% of their ballots, yet have announced that they will not update their totals until November 12th. While we can gain some insights into the current known outcomes, the results of this election will be largely contested and likely challenged in court before we can declare anything with certainty.
