Republicans take the Senate as Sen. Kay Hagan loses re-election


In a stunning defeat, Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) has lost her re-election bid to Thom Tillis. The victory gives Republicans the net six seat pickup necessary to flip the Senate.
Hagan led in polls down the stretch and was projected to eke out a victory. Yet on a night when almost every election broke against the Democratic Party, so too did North Carolina's Senate race.
The GOP's big night isn't over yet either. Republican Joni Ernst is projected to win Iowa's Senate race, and polls aren't yet closed in Alaska, where Republican Dan Sullivan has a strong chance of picking off Sen. Mark Begich (D).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Then there's Louisiana, where Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) and Republican Bill Cassidy are headed for a December runoff after neither candidate received at least 50 percent of the vote in a three-way race. Polls have shown Cassidy with the upper hand, and FiveThirtyEight gives him an 80 percent chance to win the two-way contest.
If everything breaks in favor of the GOP, the party could wind up with a 54-seat majority come next year.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami