The outcome of the Nevada election might solidify Democrats' control of the U.S. Senate

As the results of Tuesday's midterm elections were still being counted in the bitterly divided state of Nevada and as the campaigning for a runoff election in Georgia on December 6 got underway, Democrats were one seat away from having a majority in the U.S. Senate next year.

In Nevada, if Democratic incumbent Senator Catherine Cortez Masto defeats Republican challenger Adam Laxalt, her party would then hold 50 of the Senate's 100 seats.

After winning Georgia next month, the Democrats would have complete control of the 51-49 Senate. Democrats would still control a 50-50 Senate if they lost in Georgia and won in Nevada because Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris can break ties.

Republicans and Democrats presently hold equal numbers of seats in the Senate. On January 3, the newly elected Senate will be sworn in.

Laxalt was in the lead by about 800 votes in the Nevada Senate election with almost 97% of the ballots counted. Uncounted votes from areas that support Cortez Masto, though, could give her the advantage.

In addition to the Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives' dominant party for the ensuing two years is still a matter of uncertainty. Although Republicans still had the advantage, results were still coming in for a number of seats, including many in liberal California.

The outcome of enough House contests may not be known for at least a few more days before it can be said with certainty which party will control the 435-seat chamber.

Late on Friday, it appeared that Democratic Senator Mark Kelly would retain his seat in Arizona, defeating Republican Blake Masters, who had not yet declared victory. This gave Democrats a significant boost.

Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut, delivered a short victory speech to his supporters in Phoenix on Saturday with his wife, former Democratic Representative Gabby Giffords, at his side. His remarks focused on working in Congress in a bipartisan manner.

Kelly did not mention Masters, but said: "We've seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on conspiracies of the past than solving the challenges that we face today."

During the midterm elections on Tuesday, several Republican candidates, including Masters, repeated the fallacious claim made by former president Donald Trump that huge voting fraud caused him to lose the 2020 election to Biden.

In the contest for governor of Arizona, where Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake are neck-and-neck, no winner has yet been predicted.

THE ELECTION OF JUDGES IS AT STAKE

President Joe Biden would have the assurance that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would help his nominations for dozens of federal judgeships receive confirmation if the Senate were controlled by Democrats.

That would be especially important to Democrats if a vacancy on the 6-3 conservative-leaning U.S. Supreme Court occurred during Biden's remaining two years in office.

Schumer wants to quickly confirm two additional federal judges who are awaiting final votes when the outgoing Senate reconvenes on Monday for a post-election work session that may last until late December.

But if Cortez Masto falls short of Laxalt and Democrats fall short in Georgia, Schumer will have to take much longer to get judicial nominations through before stepping down on January 3. At that point, Senate Republicans would have the option of either rejecting or dragging out the confirmation of Biden nominees.

Trump, who exploited his sustained support from hard-right conservatives to influence the candidates the Republican Party selected for congressional, gubernatorial, and local races, has been looming over the 2022 midterm elections all year.

Trump has been accused of endorsing candidates who were unable to win over a sizable enough portion of the population due to Republicans' poor performance on Tuesday, even if they do gain a small majority in either the Senate or the House.

Trump endorsed both Laxalt and Herschel Walker, a Republican seeking to replace Senator Raphael Warnock in Georgia. Republican defeats in either of these two contests may further damage Trump's standing, according to aides, who believe the president-elect is thinking about declaring a third presidential bid in 2024. If House Republicans are successful, they have promised to work to undo Biden's accomplishments in the fight against climate change and to extend a number of 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire. They also intend to look into the operations of the Biden administration and the president's son, who has connections to the Chinese and Ukrainian economies.