Led by former and now future President Donald Trump, the Republican Party won the White House and Senate in Tuesday’s elections, with control of the House of Representatives still too close to call at deadline for Weapons Complex Monitor.
Trump won both the electoral college and the popular vote to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. In the House, as of Friday morning, the GOP had won 211 seats and Democrats 199, according to data gathered by the Associated Press. It takes 218 to control the House majority.
With rare exceptions, such as Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) being defeated in Ohio, most incumbents with constituents near major Department of Energy defense-nuclear sites managed to fend off challengers. There were some cliffhangers as of deadline, including a House race in Washington state that remained too close to call, and Nevada’s U.S. Senate race.
In a nailbiter election for the U.S. Senate seat in Nevada, first-term Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen led GOP challenger Sam Brown by some 17,500 votes, or a little more than 1%, according to data reported by the Associated Press, which had not called the race at deadline Friday. Rosen had almost 48% of the vote and Brown had almost 47%.
At least one news outlet, the relatively small Chicago-based NewsNation, owned by Nexstar Media Group, had called the race for Rosen at deadline Friday for Weapons Complex Monitor.
In Washington’s fourth congressional district , which borders the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, held a small lead as he squared off against a fellow Republican backed by Trump, Jerrod Sessler, a former NASCAR racer and Navy veteran.
With 74% of the votes counted Newhouse led with 52% or about 102,000 votes, while Sessler had 48% or about 94,000 votes, the Associated Press reported Friday. Washington is a vote by mail state so a final result could take time. Newhouse was one of only 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump after Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
California’s 14th congressional district, which borders the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, saw incumbent Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) win reelection with 63% of the vote against Republican challenger Vin Kruttiventi, according to data published by the California Secretary of State.
In California’s 26th congressional district, which includes the Energy Technology Engineering Center, portions of which were cleaned up by DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, incumbent Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) led Republican Michael Koslow on Wednesday by 54% to 46%, according to unofficial state election figures.
Koslow is a U.S. Air Force veteran who worked in counterintelligence before retiring from the military. Koslow also worked for the Department of Defense Inspector General’s office. Brownley, first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, according to her biography.
In Idaho’s second Congressional District, which abuts DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), won re-election with 61% of the vote, according to data reported by the Associated Press. With 99% counted, Simpson had 245,000 votes compared with 30% or 123,000 votes for Democrat David Roth. Simpson has been in the House since 1999, according to his website, and serves on the Appropriations Committee, including the energy and water subcommittee that writes the first draft of DOE’s annual budget bill every year.
In Nevada’s 4th congressional district, which adjoins the Nevada National Security Site, the Associated Press had called the race for incumbent Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford who captured 53% of the vote to Republican challenger John Lee’s to 44%.
In Utah’s second congressional district, the geographic home of the uranium mill tailing remediation project near Moab, the Associated Press declared Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) a first-term member of Congress, a winner in her re-election bid. Maloy prevailed over Democrat Nathaniel Woodward and two other candidates. With 68% of the vote tallied, Maloy had about 60% or 152,000 votes while Woodward had 33% or 83,000 votes.
Tennessee’s third congressional district is next to DOE’s Oak Ridge Site and the Y-12 National Security Complex. It was again won by incumbent Republican Rep. Charles “Chuck” Fleischmann, who was declared winner by the Associated Press Tuesday night. The incumbent had about 236,000 votes to 102,000 votes for Democrat Jack Allen, according to Tennessee Secretary of State data available Wednesday morning.
Fleischmann took office in January 2011 and serves on the House Appropriations Committee, where he chairs the energy and water development subcommittee. Allen is an accountant who eventually became a bank president, according to his biography.
Kentucky’s first congressional District seat, where DOE’s Paducah Site is a major employer,was again won by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) won re-election defending his and was being challenged by Democrat Erin Marshall. Comer, who chairs the House Oversight Committee, had 75% or 253,000 votes, and Marshall 25%, or 85,000, on Wednesday morning with all counties reporting, according to Kentucky election data. Marshall describes herself as a single mom who worked for Hilary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign against Donald Trump.
Ohio’s first congressional district is home of the Cincinnati-based Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center. The district re-elected the incumbent Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman, who garnered 54% of the vote against GOP challenger Orlando Sonza, according to the Associated Press.
Ohio’s second congressional district is near DOE’s Portsmouth Site. The seat, being vacated by incumbent Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) who is retiring from Congress, will stay in Republican control. Republican David Taylor, a businessman and former prosecuting attorney, won his second district race against Democrat Samantha Meadows, a Portsmouth native who worked in a pediatric clinic. According to the Associated Press, Taylor had about 74% or 263,000 votes while Meadows recorded about 27% or 95,000. Meadows unsuccessfully tried to unseat Wenstrup in 2022.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) won re-election with more than 66% or about 207,000 votes Wednesday morning, well ahead of Democrat David Robinson, with about 138,000 votes, according to South Carolina Election Commssion data. The district neighbors DOE’s Savannah River Site.
In the U.S. Senate race in Ohio, GOP challenger Bernardo Moreno ousted Democrat incumbent incumbent Sherrod Brown, 50% to 46%, the Associated Press reported.
In New Mexico’s second congressional district, home to DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, incumbent Rep. Gabriel Vasquez (D-N.M.) defeated Republican Yvette Herrell by 53% to 45%, winning by about 26,000 votes, with all precincts reporting, according to New Mexico election data.
New Mexico’s third congressional district is where many of the locals work at DOE’s Los Alamos National Laboratory. There, Incumbent Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez won re-election by defeating GOP challenger Sharon Clahischilliage 56% to 44%, according to unofficial state results.
In New Mexico’s U.S. Senate race, incumbent Sen. Democrat Martin Heinrich led Republican appeared to defeat Nella Louise Domenici 488,000 to 401,000 votes with all precincts reporting.
In New York’s 23rd Congressional District, which borders the West Valley Demonstration Project cleanup, the Associated Press called the race for Incumbent Republican Rep. Nicholas Langworthy 66% of the vote.
