Republicans take back Senate majority with wins in West Virginia, Ohio

Republicans were projected to regain the Senate after four years out of power late Tuesday, condemning Chuck Schumer to at least two years as minority leader.The upper chamber flip began with West Virginia Republican Gov.Jim Justice winning the seat held by outgoing Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin, who announced in November 2023 he would not seek re-election.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown’s bid for a fourth term was projected to end at the hands of Trump-endorsed GOP businessman Bernie Moreno.Another three-term Democrat, Sen.

Jon Tester, trailed Republican Tim Sheehy by 16 percentage points as of midnight Wednesday.Republican Senate candidates also had significant leads in the “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — results which could net the GOP up to 55 seats if they all hold.Meanwhile, two of the most prominent Republican incumbents — Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida — were projected to comfortably win their races.A third, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, was pulling away from Democrat-leaning independent Dan Osborn early Wednesday.Democrats were always underdogs to keep power in the Senate, having to defend 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs Tuesday.That task got even tougher when the 77-year-old Manchin, a rare Democrat-aligned independent from a deep-red state, declined Schumer’s reported plea to reconsider his decision to exit the Senate and face Mountain State voters one more time.

The first order of business for Republicans is to elect a new conference leader, with Minority Leader Sen.Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) bringing a close to his 17-year reign later this month.A spirited contest is underway between the current Senate GOP No.

2, Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD); his predecessor in that role, Sen.John Cornyn (R-Texas); and Sen.

Rick Scott (R-Fla.).All three men have been jockeying behind the scenes for months, seeking to gain an edge with members.Scott previously challenged McConnell, unsuccessfully, follow...