Election Day may have been all about Americans, but this year in every developed country in the world, the governing party facing election lost vote shares for the first time in history. The U.S. followed this global trend and displaced the party that led after the pandemic. Former President Donald J. Trump (R) won the 2024 presidential election by winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote by a significant margin.
Current Status of Congressional Races
In Congress, the Republican party will serve as the majority party in the Senate. Republicans flipped the Senate from the Democrat majority by winning seats in red states against incumbent Democratic senators in Montana (Sen. Jon Tester) and Ohio (Sen. Sherrod Brown) and picking up a seat in West Virginia from retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W. Va.). A close Senate race in Arizona is yet to be called, and in Pennsylvania, incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has yet to concede and votes are still being counted.
Republican candidates lead in the majority of outstanding House races, but 20 seats are still to be called. Other races may be subject to recounts or runoffs, and absentee and mail-in ballots have not yet been tallied. Current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) is expected to run for Speaker again if Republicans retain the majority. He would likely succeed in this bid for the top House position. The numbers should cement this week.
| 2024 Congressional & Governor Races (as of Nov. 10, 2024) | |||
| Senate | House | Governors | |
| Democrats | 44 | 203 | 23 |
| Republicans | 53 | 212 | 27 |
| Independents | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| To Be Determined | 1 | 20 | 0 |
Lame Duck Session
The period between returning from the election and a long back-home recess and the end of the calendar year is referred to as a Lame Duck Congress. Congress is only expected to act on legislation that must be addressed before the 118th Congress formally adjourns. Following the election, Congress will hold leadership elections for the new Congress and begin to plan its agenda. With a likely Republican majority in the House and Senate and a Republican president, there will be a sense that the party has a mandate to lead initiatives and enact significant policy changes.
It is likely that President-Elect Trump will direct what legislation is passed in the remaining time this year if Republicans retain the House. This increases the likelihood that any end-of-year legislative package will be narrower than initially expected or hoped for before the election—if there is a legislative package at all. Funding for federal government agencies and programs is set to expire on Dec. 20, 2024, so at the very least Congress must agree to either an appropriations package or a continuing resolution (an extension of current funding levels); if they fail to do this, they risk a government shutdown.
