Republicans will win control of Senate while House is yet to be called

Our coverage of the congressional and down-ballot races has moved here.

Abe Hamadeh speaks during a campaign rally in in Glendale, Arizona on August 23.

Trump ally Abe Hamadeh will win his race for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, a safe Republican district, against Democratic nominee Gregory Whitten, CNN projects.

Hamadeh has closely aligned himself with Donald Trump, vowing to support the former president’s border wall and prioritize border security, and had parroted Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election.

Hamadeh is a former Army intelligence officer who worked in the Maricopa County prosecutor’s office. He is the son of immigrants, and his family fled to the US from Syria and Venezuela, according to his campaign website.

He won a crowded GOP primary that included former US Senate GOP nominee Blake Masters, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, former Rep. Trent Franks and state Sen. Anthony Kern.

CNN’s Eric Bradner contributed to reporting to this post.

More than two years after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended the federal constitutional right to an abortion, voters in 10 states cast ballots on whether to cement reproductive rights in their state constitutions.

Measures to protect abortion access will pass in Arizona and Missouri, where citizens effectively voted to overturn their state’s abortion bans. Abortion rights supporters are hopeful this will lead to a widespread increase in access to reproductive care in those states.

Similar measures will pass in Colorado, New York, Maryland, Montana and Nevada, cementing or expanding current abortion access.

Measures to protect abortion failed in Florida, where the procedure is banned six weeks into pregnancy, and South Dakota, where it is banned, except to save the life of the mother.

In Nebraska, an amendment cementing the state’s current 12-week abortion ban in the state constitution will pass, while a competing amendment to codify the right to an abortion will fail, CNN projects.

Go deeper on how Americans voted on abortion in these 10 states.

Or watch our quick explainer here:

House GOP leaders will brief their members on the election results on a virtual conference call Thursday at 11 a.m. ET, according to a person familiar with the plans.

House Democrats will separately hold a call to discuss the election at noon ET on Thursday, according to a person familiar with those plans.

Voters in Nebraska will approve a measure to enshrine the state’s current 12-week abortion ban into the state’s constitution, with exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies, CNN projects.

The measure was one of two abortion-related initiatives on the ballot in Nebraska. Voters are projected to reject a competing measure to enshrine in the state constitution the right to an abortion until viability or to protect the health of the pregnant woman.

Ten states had measures on the ballot this year to expand or protect abortion rights. Read more about the outcomes of those ballot measures.

Speaker Mike Johnson is seen during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on September 10.

Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP are feeling increasingly bullish about holding onto the House of Representatives, believing they have defied political gravity in key suburban seats as President-elect Donald Trump powered his party toward what may become a full sweep of Washington.

Remember: Dozens of key races remain uncalled, and it could be days, or weeks, before the results are official.

But House Republicans and Democrats alike privately believe the GOP will maintain control, according to a half-dozen senior campaign operatives.

“The question is about what the size of the majority is right now,” one senior GOP campaign official said Wednesday.

A senior Democratic source conceded to CNN that the party was unlikely to flip the House given the outstanding races.

To win the House now, Democrats believe they need to keep all their remaining incumbents — including in tough terrain like Washington state and Colorado — while essentially sweeping GOP seats in California, Oregon and Arizona, according to multiple Democratic sources.

Sen. Joe Manchin is seen during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in Washington, DC on June 4.

West Virginia Independent Sen. Joe Manchin appealed to new lawmakers coming into Congress after the 2024 election to work for voters who are in the middle politically who helped them get elected.

Republican Jim Justice won Manchin’s seat after he announced he was retiring — a pick-up for the GOP that contributed to their taking control of the chamber.

As for the House, it could take a week or more before control is officially determined. Right now, Republicans have 208 seats and Democrats have 190. Either side needs 218 seats to win the majority.

Manchin said many of those newly elected lawmakers won their races by “appealing to reasonable, responsible, sensible people that are in the middle.”

“Remember how you got elected and who voted for you,” he added. “It’s going to be the swing area, the middle of your district, that basically got you over the hump.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer walks off of the Senate floor on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC, on September 16.

As Democrats prepare for two years in the Senate minority, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Wednesday to work with Republican colleagues in the years ahead and applauded Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.

He added that his party is “committed” to working with Republican colleagues, stressing the importance of bipartisan work.

Eugene Vindman walks to the stage to speak during the Virginia Democrats' first day of early voting rally in Manassas, Virginia, on September 20.

Democrat Eugene Vindman, a retired Army colonel who played a key role in President-elect Donald Trump’s first impeachment, will win Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, CNN projects.

Vindman defeated Derrick Anderson, a retired Army Green Beret. He will succeed three-term Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who declined to seek reelection in order to run for governor in 2025.

Vindman and his twin brother, retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, played a key role in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry after they flagged a 2019 phone call between the then-president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Nellie Pou is seen in an undated image.

New Jersey state Sen. Nellie Pou will defeat Republican Billy Prempeh in the state’s 9th Congressional District, CNN projects, putting Pou on track to become the first Latina to represent New Jersey in the US House.

The safe blue seat had been held by the late Rep. Bill Pascrell since 1997. Pascrell, 87, died in August following a short illness. He had planned to run for a 15th term before his passing. Pou replaced Pascrell in the state legislature after he was first elected to Congress.

Pou was made the Democratic nominee this year at a special convention of New Jersey Democrats. The chair of the state Legislative Latino Caucus since 2006, she was voted in as president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators in 2021.

Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie delivers remarks at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on October 29.

Republican state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie will unseat Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in Pennsylvania’s critical 7th Congressional District, CNN projects.

Wild’s defeat in her Lehigh Valley district is a serious blow to Democrats’ hopes of winning a House majority. She was vying for a fourth full term after first winning office in 2018. She won reelection two years ago by 2 points.

Mackenzie, who won a three-way primary for the Republican nomination, has served for more than a decade in the Pennsylvania House.

CNN is yet to project the race for control of US House, with votes still being counted in dozens of races. As of late Wednesday afternoon, House Republicans, who are defending a narrow majority, are projected to flip six seats, including Wild’s, compared with two for Democrats.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin speaks during the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, August 22.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin will win the competitive Michigan Senate race, keeping the seat in Democratic hands and making her the youngest Democratic woman elected to be senator, CNN projects.

She will defeat former Rep. Mike Rogers, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Slotkin will succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan’s first female US senator, who announced early last year she would step aside and “pass the torch” to a new generation of leadership.

Slotkin made appeals to conservative voters, ending both of her debates with Rogers by noting that her dad is a lifelong Republican who feels betrayed by his party’s loyalty to Trump.

Rogers, who was endorsed by Trump earlier this year, despite his previous criticism of the former president, highlighted Slotkin’s voting record in support of the Biden-Harris administration’s agenda. The Michigan Republican repeatedly linked Slotkin to efforts by the administration to incentivize a transition to electric vehicles, a hot button issue with Michigan’s auto workers.

Slotkin ran television ads across the state telling voters that she doesn’t care what kind of car they drive, as Rogers accused her of wanting to essentially ban gas-powered vehicles in the state.

Slotkin also ran a multi-million dollar ad campaign highlighting Rogers’ previous voting record on abortion legislation, arguing that though access to the procedure is protected in Michigan’s constitution, Republicans would enact a national abortion ban, if given the levers of power.

The Democratic congresswoman said that she would support reforming the Senate’s filibuster rule if elected so that legislation to codify Roe vs. Wade could pass with a simple majority vote in the chamber.

Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers called Slotkin and conceded in the race, per two sources.

US Senator from Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin arrives to speak on the fourth and last day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 22.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin will win reelection in Wisconsin, CNN projects, an important victory for Democrats in a closely divided battleground state.

Baldwin will defeat Republican Eric Hovde in a race that attracted a late flurry of attention after initially appearing less competitive than some other states where Democrats were on defense.

Republicans came home late to Hovde, but Democrats had worked to define him early, seizing on some of his controversial comments to paint him as a California banker who didn’t have Wisconsin voters’ best interest at heart. (The CEO of Sunwest Bank owns a home in Laguna Beach, California, but was born and raised in Wisconsin.)

Hovde, who’s also CEO of a prominent Madison-based development company bearing his name, poured millions of dollars into his campaign and had significant outside firepower from GOP groups. But Baldwin – a well-known incumbent first elected to the Senate in 2012 – raised substantial money that allowed her to reserve advertising time at the more favorable candidate rate.

Her campaign attacked Hovde, for example, for saying that most nursing home patients aren’t in a condition to vote, while touting her work in the Senate, including efforts to pass the PACT Act, which helps veterans exposed to burn pits.

The two-term incumbent is used to having to court ticket-splitters — she last won reelection in 2018 after former President Donald Trump had carried Wisconsin in 2016. But Hovde posed a tougher challenge than her opponent from six years ago. Baldwin made an effort to travel to rural and conservative parts of the state to try to narrow Hovde’s margins, even in places where Democrats were likely to lose. She also scored the endorsement of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, a notable get for a Democrat running statewide.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on November 6 in Washington, DC. McConnell, who has served as a Senator from Kentucky since 1985 and is the longest serving senator in his state's history, spoke about the Republican Party taking the Senate majority and his plans for the upcoming congress.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell touted Senate Republicans’ success this election cycle, noting that he had always wanted to be able to pass along a majority to his successor as leader.

He praised Sen. Steve Daines, who chaired the Senate GOP’s campaign arm this cycle, telling reporters, “I’ve never seen a better performance.”

In particular, he argued that the party “had the best candidates everywhere yesterday,” and wryly noted, “as I’ve said, to some criticism, candidate quality is absolutely essential,” in a reference to his critiques of last cycle’s campaign chair, Sen. Rick Scott.

McConnell added that last night’s results were a “referendum on the current administration,” and said that Senate Republicans “did pretty well with a narrow majority” the last time Donald Trump was in office.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., speaks at a campaign watch party on election night on November 5 in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Florida Sen. Rick. Scott, who won a second term last night and is viewed as a long-shot in the Senate GOP leader’s race, is pitching himself as the “true ally” of President-elect Donald Trump. It’s an attempt to contrast himself with Senate GOP Whip John Thune and Sen. John Cornyn, the two other candidates in the secret-ballot race.

Scott spokesperson McKinley Lewis said in a statement: “Senator Scott had a resounding win in Florida and Donald Trump got a mandate from the American people for real change and the Trump agenda. As Senate Republican leader, Senator Scott will bring Florida’s winning conservative record to Washington and be a true ally to President Trump to execute his agenda and fundamentally change the direction of this country.”

The leadership election is set for Nov. 13.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) applauds on stage as Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump holds an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Speaker Mike Johnson is growing more confident in Republicans’ chances of maintaining control of the House.

“House Republicans have been successful in securing critical flips in swing states including Pennsylvania and Michigan, while our battle-tested incumbents have secured re-election from coast to coast,” Johnson said in a statement.

“The latest data and trends indicate that when all the votes are tabulated, Republicans will have held our majority, even though we faced a map with 18 Biden-won seats.”

Former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Florida, on November 6.

Now that Donald Trump has secured the presidency, Senate Republicans are watching closely to see if he will weigh in on the race for who will lead the Senate.

Republicans believe that Trump’s impact could be much larger now that the he is projected to win the presidency, as he looks to find a partner in the upper chamber he can reliably work with to push his agenda through.

One GOP aide warned that in the wake of the election, it felt like “DJT is going to have a bigger impact than anyone thought.”

The election for majority leader will happen next week in the Senate behind closed doors and via secret ballot with Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida all vying for the role. The race has largely been seen as wide open between Thune and Cornyn. But the Trump dynamic has been a huge wildcard as CNN reported earlier this week.

While both Thune and Cornyn have voiced concerns in the past about Trump’s electability, Thune has had a more fraught relationship with Trump over the last several years. Thune endorsed Tim Scott to be the GOP nominee and in the wake of Trump’s challenge of the electoral college, Thune said Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election would “go down like a shot dog.”

Trump called to primary Thune in his 2022 Senate bid.

Both Cornyn and Thune have tried to cozy up to Trump in recent months. Thune visited Trump in Florida this spring and the two men have continued to talk, Thune’s allies say. Meanwhile, Cornyn appeared with Trump on the trail and greeted him on the tarmac in Texas a few weeks ago. Both Thune and Cornyn have met with Trump’s transition team.

There is still a lot of debates about whether Trump may get involved now and whether his endorsement could even move the needle in the race given senators vote via secret ballot, meaning who they vote for is never revealed.

Republicans will win the US Senate majority, CNN projects, shifting the balance of power in Washington and putting the chamber in position to boost Donald Trump’s presidency.

With several races still to be declared, Republicans now have 52 seats in the chamber and will assume control under a yet-to-be chosen Republican leader when the new Congress convenes in January.

The Senate takeover was the first big success of the night for Republicans, while the destiny of the House of Representatives, where the GOP is trying to defend its narrow majority, remains up in the air.

The new GOP Senate will be in a position to back Trump’s agenda and to resume the ex-president’s significant reshaping of the judiciary with scores more conservatives.

The Republican march to control started early on election night when West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice was projected to pick up the Senate seat vacated by retiring Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Manchin. Democrats had stopped contesting the seat after Manchin announced he wouldn’t seek reelection.

In Ohio, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has served in the chamber for three terms, will lose his reelection bid, CNN projects, in a state that has gone from a perennial political bellwether during his tenure to a deep red stronghold. The new Republican senator will be businessman Bernie Moreno, a vehement Trump supporter.

And early Wednesday morning, CNN projected that in Montana, Republican businessman Tim Sheehy, a retired Navy SEAL, defeated three-term Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.

Read more about the outstanding races here.

CNN projects that Republicans will take control of the Senate, a major victory for the party that has been locked out of the majority in the chamber since 2021.

But the Senate races in a number of states have yet to be called. Those are:

Notably, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has inched ahead in Wisconsin after a campaign that saw her GOP opponent, Eric Hovde, put the spotlight on her same-sex relationship and the career of her partner.

And in hotly contested Michigan, current US Rep. Elissa Slotkin has pulled ahead in the race to fill the seat being vacated by the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Slotkin leads by 0.1% with 95% of the vote counted.

Don Bacon speaks with reporters following a closed-door House Republican caucus meeting, in Washington D.C., on April 16.

While there are still more than 20 key House races outstanding in the battle for control in the House, Republicans are growing more bullish on their chance of retaining the chamber.

“We feel very confident,” one GOP campaign operative told CNN Wednesday morning, but they added that expanding the majority much beyond where it has been is looking less likely right now.

Several Republican incumbents who were once considered vulnerable are still in the fight from Don Bacon in Nebraska to John Duarte in California’s central valley.