Republicans projected to hold Senate seats in Iowa and Kansas

Joni Ernst.
(Image credit: Steve Pope/Getty Images)

Democrats' hopes of flipping the Senate have all but faded.

Barbara Bollier, a Republican turned Democrat who hoped to win Kansas' Senate seat, conceded to Republican Roger Marshall on Tuesday. And Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is projected to retain her seat in a race against Democrat Theresa Greenfield, per The Associated Press and The New York Times.

Kansas typically goes red, but after the election of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in 2018, Bollier showed a chance of winning retiring Sen. Pat Roberts' (R) seat. Greenfield had meanwhile raised millions of dollars in her race to unseat Ernst, and polls put both her and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the lead in the weeks leading up to the election.

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Republicans across Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming were also projected for Senate victories shortly after their polls closed Tuesday night, giving the party at least 45 seats toward retaining their majority.

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