Democrats failed in their efforts to win back the Senate, but they did get a sliver of good news Wednesday evening after New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was declared the winner over GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
That victory brings Democrats’ total pickups to just two — the Granite State and one in Illinois. The open Louisiana Senate race will be decided in a December runoff, but Republicans are favored there. In total, Democrats fell well short of what they needed.
New Hampshire was one of the closest races of the evening, with the Democratic nominee edging out the Republican incumbent by just 1,023 votes, according to certification from the New Hampshire secretary of state’s office.
In a statement, Ayotte conceded to Hassan and said she wouldn’t pursue a recount, according to WMUR.
Ayotte joins Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk as the only other Senate incumbent to lose Tuesday night, giving Republicans a likely 52-48 majority come January (two independents caucus with Democrats). Those are both states Hillary Clinton is likely to carry — she won Illinois and leads in New Hampshire, where the presidential race still hasn’t been officially called by the Associated Press.
Republicans held other toss-up Senate contests in Pennsylvania, North Carolina Missouri and Indiana, all states that Donald Trump carried. Democrats also held on to an open Nevada Senate seat — a state that Clinton also kept in the blue column.
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