Wake up with the Washington Examiner: Meet the new senators and get caught up on what those tariffs mean

Setting up the new Senate

This cycle was always going to be about who won the White House. Every four years, the House and Senate contests are going to take a back seat to the race everyone feels like they must participate in.

Republicans weren’t swimming against that tide, but outgoing Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and company had 2024 circled on their calendars as their best chance to regain control of the Senate. They had an opportunity two years ago to chip away at President Joe Biden’s control of the government and watched it slip through their fingers when a crop of subpar candidates struggled to win competitive races.