SPLIT DECISION

Democrats Capture House but Republicans Tighten Senate Grip

Both sides able to claim some victories after Tuesday’s vote.

The big picture of Tuesday night’s midterm elections is becoming clear Wednesday morning, with Democrats having taken back control of the House of Representatives but the Republican Party having tightened its grip on the Senate. As of 7 a.m., Democrats had won 219 House seats and taken 26 off Republican incumbents, whose ranks currently total 193. The Senate results showed the GOP gained two seats, giving it a 51-45 majority. Democrats also captured pivotal governorships: Top target Gov. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Republican, was defeated and the party also took the governor’s office in Michigan—both states were carried by Trump in 2016. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi—now set to become speaker again, a position she held from 2007 to 2011—told supporters in Washington: “Thanks to you, tomorrow will be a new day in America.” But Trump insisted his party had pulled off a “Big Victory” despite losing the House, and that he’d now get “back to work.” Voters appear to have turned out in record numbers Tuesday, with an early estimate of 113 million, or 49 percent of those registered, going to the polls.

She’s Hip (Hop)

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