Democrats have won the Senate majority, a feat that seemed unreachable last year but that came to fruition with Republican candidates failing in states won just two years ago by President Trump, whose failing approval ratings was a huge drag on the GOP.
Victory in the Senate will deliver additional oversight powers to Democrats, who will now have a much bigger say on administration and judicial nominations.
They will also set the schedule for the Senate and have new powers to call in administration officials for hearings.
The string of Democratic victories sets the stage for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to return as majority leader in 2027 and for hardball negotiations with Trump on an array of issues, including on federal spending levels.
To clarify, this is not true for The House of Representatives. Speaker of the House is voted on by everyone in the House.
Here’s an example of the previous vote. As you can see, Democrats put up Jeffries and every (I think?) Dem voted for him. He lost because Dems didn’t have a majority, and the Republican vote didn’t split (they’re smart enough to make sure they agree on one person before putting them up against the Dem candidate).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2023_Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives_election