Jackie Kucinich

Through her campaign, Sen. Lisa Murkowski demonstrated the limited appeal of a MAGA-fueled grievance campaign, even in a state Trump carried twice.

House Republicans promised a “red wave” would sweep the country on Election Day. It didn’t, but they managed to cobble together just enough seats to take over.

“You can sense in the country there’s some backlash to the MAGA,” David Cohen, a professor at the University of Akron, said.

Former TV journalist Kari Lake made denying the results of the 2020 election a centerpiece of her far-right campaign to lead Arizona. But voters took a hard pass.

As much as House progressives want to keep their momentum, a likely new reality awaits them next term in which nearly all of their legislation will be dead on arrival.

By Saturday, enough Democrats had won key races that, for Republicans, all paths lead to another two years in the minority.

The race was considered one of the most competitive in the country.

Sen. Mark Kelly contrasted himself as a commonsense moderate opposed to corporate and out-of-state interests controlling the state’s political future.

“The money makes a huge difference, especially for those of us down-ballot,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow said, adding that the abortion issue “changed everything.”

Biden mentioned abortion only a single time at his press conference, in a promise to veto any Republican attempts at a national ban.