Democrats Retain Control of US Senate After Nevada Win 拿下亞利桑那.內華達 民主黨穩住參院多數

In U.S. midterm election news, the Democrats have retained control of the Senate while Republicans still need 7 more seats to take the House and Democrats needing 13. 

“CCM! CCM! CCM! ”Democrats retained control of the Senate on Saturday, Nov. 12 as Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada won another term in office. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quickly tweeted success. Masto in her victory speech said the election result showed that the far-right Republicans have underestimated the voters from Nevada. 

Catherine Cortez Masto, US Senator from Nevada (Democrat): “This election Nevadans rejected the far-right politicians working to divide us. We rejected their conspiracies, their attacks on our workers and their efforts to restrict our freedoms.”

With incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly also winning another term in office in Arizona, the Democrats have earned the 50th seat needed to maintain control of the Senate. The final seat will be determined in a Georgia runoff on Dec. 6. Even if the Democrats lose Georgia, the Senate would effectively be controlled by the Democrats because the tying vote falls to the vice-president, Kamala Harris. In the past two years, Harris has been the crucial person in casting her vote to break the 50-50 tie in the Senate in favor of President Joe Biden's COVID-19 relief package and the Inflation Reduction Act. A Senate in Democratic hands will enable the party to appoint more liberal and diverse federal judges and important officials. Biden plans to reshape federal courts with a diverse array of lifetime-appointed liberal judges, including record numbers of women, minorities, former public defenders and civil rights lawyers. Some U.S. political analysts say however, that Biden may not be able to replicate his model of success on other political issues during the next two years in office. 

Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press: “They passed the Infrastructure Investment Bill. They passed the Inflation Reduction Act, of course, COVID relief, aid for Ukraine. These were all what Democrats considered accomplishments. Whether they're going to be able to tackle those types of items going forward remains uncertain.”

In the House of Representatives race, Republicans are currently in the lead. Democrat Delia Ramirez became the first Latina elected to Congress from Illinois and she spoke earnestly to a crowd of generation Z.  

Delia Ramirez, Democratic member-elect from Illinois: “We are young-ish - we are younger - we are Black, Brown, Latino, South Asian - we represent people who every single day are working so hard just to make it.”

Votes for the House race are still being tallied and results will be clearer later this week. 

「瑪斯托! 瑪斯托! 瑪斯托!」代表拉丁裔族群的內華達州參議員瑪斯托宣布連任成功，為民主黨拿下關鍵1席，穩住參議院的多數地位，民主黨參院多數領袖舒默推文高呼勝利。瑪斯托演說指出，選舉結果證明了共和黨極右派小看內華達選民。

內華達州參議員當選人瑪斯托表示：「這次選舉顯示，內華達拒絕極右勢力分化我們的意圖，我們拒絕他們的選舉陰謀論、拒絕對我們勞工的攻擊、拒絕限制我們的自由。」

亞利桑那現任民主黨參議員凱利也連任成功，加上內華達州臨門一腳，民主黨在參議院跨過多數50席門檻。即便12月6日喬治亞州決選無法翻盤，民主黨副總統賀錦麗仍握有最終表決權。過去兩年拜登力推的新冠肺炎紓困法案和降通膨法案，都因為賀錦麗的關鍵表決而過關。民主黨掌握參院多數，也意味全美聯邦法院法官和政府要職的人事案可望順利通過。拜登在任命首位非裔女性大法官傑克森替補柯林頓時期的退休大法官布萊爾之後，計畫提名更多女性與多元族裔法官人選。不過政論專家指出，拜登剩下的兩年任期，在其他執政議題不一定能複製相同的成功模式。

美聯社政治記者瑪絲卡羅指出：「參院通過降通膨法、疫情紓困法、烏克蘭援助案，這些都是民主黨的政績，但（2024總統大選）能否維持同調，目前存在著不確定性。」

在眾議院選情部分，共和黨暫時領先。民主黨新科議員13日在華府亮相，展現年輕Z世代的問政態勢。

伊利諾州民主黨首位拉丁裔議員拉米瑞茲說：「我們很年輕、更年輕，我們是黑皮膚、黃皮膚、拉丁裔、東南亞裔，我們代表每一個為了成功而辛苦的人。」

眾議院部分州仍陸續計票中，選舉結果預計本週會更明朗。