Democrats Score First Senate Win as Virginia Race Is Called

Virginia delivered election night’s first Senate race call, with The Associated Press declaring a Democratic win. The call gives Democrats an early gain in a contest that could shift control of Congress, though it does not settle who will run the Senate. Across the country, voters have been sending a message about the economy, President Donald Trump and the country’s direction. ⁹

That message came through in exit surveys and at polling places. The economy ranked as the top issue for 39% of voters in an SSRS poll of more than 79,000 people, while 32% named the state of democracy. Three-quarters said the national economy was in poor or not-so-good shape, and 65% said Trump’s policies had made economic conditions worse. In Georgia, Atlanta voters also described record early turnout and frustration with divisive policies. ^3,1

Those concerns matter because Congress has two parts, and winning one does not guarantee control of the other. Democrats needed four more Senate seats and three more House seats, on balance, to take both chambers from Republicans, according to the Associated Press. The House outcome could give Democrats a way to block parts of Trump’s plans during his final two years in office. Voters also signaled a desire for stronger checks on the president: nearly seven in 10 said Congress was not doing enough to hold him responsible. ^9,4

That possible check on Trump is still taking shape as vote counts come in. One early report forecast a Democratic House majority, while Senate contests remained close and unresolved. The AP called Virginia first, but voters were also watching races in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. Those results will determine whether Democrats can turn their early win into control of the Senate. ^1,9