CNN has projected the Mississippi special US Senate election runoff for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. This is the final outstanding Senate race of the 2018 elections.
Hyde-Smith will finish out the final two years of the term of former Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired earlier this year due to health concerns. She will have to run again in 2020 to serve a full six-year term.
Her victory means there will be 24 women (17 Democrats and seven Republicans) in the Senate next year (those elected this year plus those not up for re-election in 2018). That will set a new record for women serving in the Senate, one more than the current high, set during this Congress. Like Hyde-Smith, appointed Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith – who won her special election this month – will have to run again in 2020 for a full, six-year term.
There will also be a record number of women serving in the House (102, comprising 89 Democrats and 13 Republicans).
Of the 23 women (17 Democrats, 6 Republicans) currently in the Senate, 13 were up for re-election this year (11 Democrats, two Republicans). No female senators retired. Six races featured women as both the Democratic and Republican nominees on the ticket (Arizona, Minnesota special, Nebraska, New York, Washington state, Wisconsin).
Two female incumbent senators lost their seats (North Dakota, Heitkamp; Missouri, McCaskill), while three women were newly elected (Arizona, Sinema; Nevada, Rosen; Tennessee, Blackburn). Sinema and Blackburn ran for open seats. Rosen beat incumbent GOP Sen. Dean Heller.
Here is the list of female senators who will serve beginning in January. Bolded senators are newly elected.
Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI)
Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN)
Cantwell, Maria (D-WA)
Capito, Shelley Moore (R-WV)
Collins, Susan (R-ME)
Cortez Masto, Catherine (D-NV)
Duckworth, Tammy (D-IL)
Ernst, Joni (R-IA)
Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA)
Fischer, Deb (R-NE)
Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY)
Harris, Kamala D. (D-CA)
Hassan, Maggie (D-NH)
Hirono, Mazie (D-HI)
Hyde-Smith, Cindy (R-MS)
Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN)
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK)
Murray, Patty (D-WA)
Rosen, Jacky (D-NV)
Shaheen, Jeanne (D-NH)
Sinema, Kyrsten (D-AZ)
Smith, Tina (D-MN)
Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI)
Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA)
New balance of power
Hyde-Smith’s win also means Republicans net-gained two seats in the Senate.
Here is the Senate balance of power beginning in January:
53 Republicans
47 Democrats (including two independents who caucus with Democrats)
Pre-election Senate balance of power: 51 Republicans, 49 Democrats (including two independents who caucus with Democrats)
Newly elected senators
There will be eight new senators in January:
Blackburn, Marsha (R-TN)
Braun, Mike (R-IN)
Cramer, Kevin (R-ND)
Hawley, Josh (R-MO)
Romney, Mitt (R-UT)
Rosen, Jacky (D-NV)
Scott, Rick (R-FL)
Sinema, Kyrsten (D-AZ)