What happened with the Senate? That’s one question Republicans are likely asking themselves after a disappointing Election Day. 

The GOP needed to net just four Senate seats to gain control of the body, and Democrats (including Democratic-leaning independents) were defending 23 of the 33 seats up for election. Six of those were retiring Democratic senators, and four were first-term senators running in purple-to-red states. For a GOP desperate to dethrone Senate majority leader Harry Reid, 2012 was a ripe year.