Republicans Win Battle for the Senate
Voters handed control of the U.S. Senate to Republicans on Election Night, strengthening the GOP's ability to advance transportation initiatives when the next Congress convenes in January.
GOP candidates scored big wins in Arkansas, Iowa, Georgia, Montana, North Carolina and Colorado, while Republican incumbents persevered in Kansas and Kentucky.
Most pollsters had projected Republicans would take over the Senate, due in part to President Obama’s sagging approval ratings and an election map that consisted of Republican-friendly states.
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Republican incumbent Pat Roberts hung on for victory in Kansas in a tight battle with independent candidate Greg Orman, and Republican challenger Tom Cotton unseated Democratic Senator Mark Pryor in Arkansas. The GOP went into the night with 45 Senators, and crossed the 51 threshold to become the new majority before midnight.
Tonight is the start of new day. The tide has turned, and the era of Obama-Reid gridlock is coming to and end. -Pat #kssen
— Pat Roberts (@PatRoberts2014) November 5, 2014
The midterms’ outcome almost certainly guarantees Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will ascend to the top leadership post in the Senate. McConnell, who defeated Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, is currently the minority leader.
In his victory speech, McConnell said the GOP-led Senate would advance pro-business policies with bipartisan support. These policies could likely mean efforts to undo Obama administration policies that limit the hours truckers can operate on roadways, and long-term transportation funding proposals aimed at improving the flow of freight. McConnell’s optimism is shared by other Senate Republicans, and Republicans who maintained control of the House, who suggest that now Congress will be less combative with the Obama White House. The divided Congress would boost the chances of advancing a long-term highway funding bill, several key Republicans say.
Maine Senator Susan Collins, who has led efforts to suspend the hours-of-service restart rule, easily defeated her Democratic challenger, Shenna Bellows.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, in a statement, added that winning the majority offers his party the “opportunity to lead the country in a better direction, and the Republican House and Senate are ready to listen to the American people. We hope President Obama will too.”
For months, the Senate has been in a state of legislative paralysis. Nominations advance slowly under current rules. And while members have negotiated deals to keep the government operating, key pieces of legislation, including a committee-passed multiyear highway funding proposal, have not advanced.
But if McConnell is to realize his vision for a bipartisan Senate, he’ll have to contend with forceful members of his caucus who have aligned themselves with a tea party bloc not interested in expanding certain federal programs. Speaking to reporters on Election Day, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a likely 2016 presidential candidate with strong tea party backing, said that the midterms represented a clear “repudiation of President Obama’s policies.”
“We know this election will send a clear-cut message that the Republican way is the way we will create jobs,” Paul said.
Also, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), has pledged to press ahead with his bill that would significantly reduce funding for the federal Highway Trust Fund within five years. That provision is commonly referred to in transportation circles as “devolution.” Nearly the entire transportation sector opposes “devolution” efforts.
Centrist Republicans and Democrats oppose “devolution” too. And to their credit, Democrats were able to withstand some of the GOP momentum. In New Hampshire, incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, that state’s former governor, defeated Republican Scott Brown. Brown was a former Republican senator from Massachusetts.
In Louisiana, incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, and Rep. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, will face each other in a Dec. 6 runoff. The intensity of that runoff could help boost Democratic efforts in the next election cycle.
The last time the Senate flipped was in 2006, when the Democrats took it over. Since then, Democratic leaders helped Obama’s election efforts and signed off on a major health care law and Wall Street regulations.
