Control of the US Senate remains unknown



So far, Republicans have underperformed in many races across the country, and now which party will control the United States Senate for the next two years remains unclear.

Senators serve six-year terms, and a third of the Senate — approximately 33 senators — is up for reelection during every election cycle. Since January 2021, the Senate has been evenly split with 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 2 independents who caucus with Democrats, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris (D) to cast more than two dozen deciding votes in less than two years.

No major outlet has yet projected which party will control the U.S. Senate. However, the following races will likely play a key role in the outcome.

Pennsylvania

This race is particularly important for Democrats, as Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz were competing for a seat vacated by retiring Republican incumbent Pat Toomey. A Fetterman win will increase the chances that Democrats maintain or perhaps increase their Senate majority.
Unfortunately, Fetterman suffered a debilitating stroke back in May, which severely affected his ability to give speeches, dialogue with voters, and participate in debates. Because of his impaired physical and mental fitness, Oz attempted to offer a stable, reliable alternative to Fetterman, who did not make many appearances without closed-captioning and has a very liberal track record as the lieutenant governor of the state.

So far though, Pennsylvania voters do not seem as concerned about Fetterman's health. As of early Wednesday morning, he holds a narrow lead of just under one point with 88% of votes reported.


\u201cFETTERMAN: \u201cI run on Roe v. Wade. I celebrate the demise of Roe v. Wade.\u201d \n\n\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1667693805

Arizona

In Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat incumbent, has faced a strong challenge from venture capitalist Blake Masters. Masters hammered Kelly's record of voting to approve President Joe Biden's liberal agenda, and in particular, his seemingly indifferent attitude toward illegal immigration.
"If this is the result of Senator Kelly being 'focused on the border,' my gosh, he's the most ineffective and worst senator of all time," Masters quipped during their debate in early October.
\u201c.@bgmasters: "If this is the result of Senator Kelly being 'focused on the border,' my gosh, he's the most ineffective and worst senator of all time."\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1665106366

Voting irregularities in Maricopa County, the most populous county in the state, will make this race difficult to call.

Georgia

Political junkies and college football fans across the country paid close attention to this race between Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, who won a special election against Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler in 2020, and former Heisman Trophy winner and University of Georgia legend Herschel Walker.
Running as a Republican, Walker was able to capitalize on his folksy mannerisms and southern drawl to convince many voters to trust him, despite allegations that he had paid for a former girlfriend to abort his child in 2009. In his debate against Warnock, Walker leaned in on his pro-life stance and his friendship with former President Donald Trump, both topics which he was then able to turn into attacks against Warnock.
"[I]f black lives matter," Walker rhetorically asked Warnock, who is also a Christian minister, "why are you not protecting those babies? And instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?"
\u201cHerschel Walker (R): \u201cIf Black Lives Matter, why are you not protecting those babies, and instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?\u201d\n\nSen. Raphael Warnock (D): \u201cI think the women of Georgia have a clear choice.\u201d\u201d
— The Recount (@The Recount) 1665790058

Warnock and Walker remain neck and neck, at 49.1% and 48.8%, respectively. If neither candidate reaches the 50% threshold once all ballots have been counted, the race will head for a runoff.

Nevada

Democrat incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has looked vulnerable for months against Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. Since mid-September, Laxalt has shown a steady lead in the polls, and Cortez Masto has struggled to demonstrate solidarity with her party while also distancing herself from Biden, who is deeply unpopular with many Nevadans. On Oct. 25, the New York Times dubbed her "the Senate's most at-risk Democrat."
The two did not have a debate this election season.

\u201c\u201cNot once has @cortezmasto said no and put her foot down on behalf of the people of Nevada. She has stood side by side, almost 100% of the time, with Joe Biden.\u201d\n\nSenator @TomCottonAR is right. Masto has been nothing but a rubber stamp for Biden.\n\nNevada is ready for change.\u201d
— Adam Paul Laxalt (@Adam Paul Laxalt) 1667678084
Clark and Washoe Counties, the two most populous counties in the state, may not announce vote tallies until Thursday, according to Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent and Ben Margiott of KRNV. So, we have very little data about this race.

New Hampshire

This state was not supposed to be in play for Republicans, and it turns out, it never really was. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) won by just 0.6% of the vote in 2016, New Hampshire then trended leftward in the next two election cycles. Biden won the state handily in 2020, 52.7% to Trump's 45.4%.
During the primary this year, Democrats then threw considerable money at Republican Don Bolduc because they thought he would be easiest candidate to defeat in the November election. A PAC affiliated with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) obviously agreed, since it pulled money out of the race in mid-October.
Though Bolduc took a slight lead in some polls in the final days, Hassan held a comfortable lead all night. She has been projected to win reelection safely.

\u201cDON BOLDUC: Under Joe Biden and Maggie Hassan, \u201cyou can\u2019t even buy a house, you can\u2019t even rent property, you can\u2019t even feed your children, you can\u2019t even heat your home. That is the ultimate tax.\u201d #NHSen\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1667437347

'A realistic simulator where Mark Kelly destroys the things you love': Blake Masters' campaign releases space-themed game criticizing Dem opponent's 'failures'



With only one week until Election Day, Arizona Republican senatorial candidate Blake Masters released a "realist simulator" game spotlighting the alleged failures of Democrat opponent Mark Kelly's political career, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

The space-themed game pokes fun at Kelly's former NASA career by placing the player inside a spaceship with an animated depiction of the senator.

The game is called "Mr. Spaceman: A realistic simulator where Mark Kelly destroys the things you love." The game's objective is to demolish oncoming objects by clicking on them, but each object represents something Arizonans value that Kelly's policies have allegedly destroyed.

\u201cThis is incredible from Blake Masters (@bgmasters) campaign. Click the link and play the game: https://t.co/CdGIm9CJqD\u201d
— Henry Rodgers (@Henry Rodgers) 1667415985

The approaching objects that players must destroy are the "nuclear family," "your savings," "public order," "your 401K," "God-given rights," "border security," "small business," "parental rights," and "rule of law."

Each time an object is successfully annihilated, the game's depiction of Kelly comments on the player's progress.

For example, after the player destroys the oncoming "public order" graphic, Kelly's character mentions an anti-police comment made by one of his campaign staffers.

The comment refers to a post by Kelly's campaign deputy press secretary, T.J. L'Heureux. The staffer replied to a Twitter post by the Chicago Police Department by calling them "worthless f***ing pigs."

In Masters' game, when a player destroys the "God-given rights" object, Kelly's character replies, "I lied on my ATF form (look it up)."

That remark refers to when Kelly attempted to purchase a rifle in 2013 following the assassination attempt on his wife, former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. Kelly intended to demonstrate to the public that it is too easy to legally obtain a firearm.

However, the owner of the gun store where Kelly attempted to make the purchase refused to proceed with the sale and provided a refund. Some have alleged that, since Kelly was denied, he must have lied on Federal Form 4473, legally required to purchase a firearm.

The gun store owner released a statement on Facebook noting that Kelly was denied before filling out the form because his "intent" for purchasing the rifle was "for reasons other than for his personal use."

Masters' game criticizing Kelly's political policies always ends with the player losing. A message on the screen reads, "Game Over: You ran out of gas and have no money to refuel your tank" – a reference to high gas prices and inflation.

Players are then directed to a website titled "Mission Failure," where Masters' campaign lists criticism of Kelly's political career.

Arizona's Libertarian candidate, Marc Victor, dropped out of the race on Tuesday and endorsed Masters.

RealClearPolitics reported that the race between Blake Masters and Mark Kelly is currently a "toss up."

Kelly's campaign did not respond to a request for comment, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.