Democrats’ dreams of winning back the majority in the Senate appeared to be slipping out of reach early Wednesday as they had not netted any new seats. But there was still hope, with several key races left to be called and the potential for a pickup in Arizona.
By early Wednesday, Democrats had picked up one new seat, with CBS News projecting Democrat John Hickenlooper defeated incumbent Republican Senator Cory Gardner in Colorado. But the net gain remained zero as CBS News projected Republican Tommy Tuberville defeated incumbent Democratic Senator Doug Jones.
One other bright spot for Democrats was in Arizona, where CBS News estimated early Wednesday morning that it would lead Democratic. But the race remained a toss up in Maine, where Democrat Sara Gideon had outraised incumbent Senator Susan Collins, who had been considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans. Democrats had also hoped to flip North Carolina, but the race, rocked by a COVID-19 diagnosis and an extramarital affair, remained too close to call early Wednesday.
And Democrats fell short in Iowa, Texas and Montana, three normally red states they hoped to flip.
Two powerful Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary chair Lindsey Graham, both survived challengers from well-funded Democrats.
