What We Know So Far: Congressional Elections

While votes in some states are still being counted, Election Day provided some news on what the 117th United States Congress will look like. As of Wednesday evening, election projections suggest that Republicans and Democrats each hold 48 seats in the Senate, with GOP candidates widely expected to win the remaining four seats. Democrats and Republicans are currently split 204/190 in House of Representatives races, with Democrats favored to retain their majority. Overall, Democrats are underperforming polling expectations, and this is reflected in news coverage across bias ratings. Outlets on all sides covered overall congressional election results and focused on the election wins of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "Squad" and Republican Madison Cawthorn, who at 25 will be the youngest member of Congress; some coverage focused on Cawthorn's "Cry more, lib" tweet following his victory. Coverage in some left- and center-rated outlets focused on wins for Democrats Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones, the first openly gay black members of Congress, and Republicans Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who have voiced support for QAnon. Updated 11/4/20 at 10:55 p.m. ET