Nevada Could decide Control of Congress
Congress used to have much bigger majorities for one party. Now the gaps between the political sides are consistently thin. Since 1995, neither party has held more than 59% of either chamber when a new Congress starts. Just a few seats decide who is in charge.
The difference from the past is big. In 1869, Republicans held 48 more Senate seats and 85 more House seats than Democrats. After the 1932 election, Democrats controlled both chambers by wide margins for many years, often holding well over 60% of the seats. By contrast, when the current Congress started in January 2025, Republicans held only eight more Senate seats and just four more House seats.
Having the same party control both the House and Senate has also become less common. Since 1857, about 76.5% of Congresses began with one party running both chambers. Democrats once held that for 13 straight Congresses from 1955 to 1981. Since 2001, only four of 13 Congresses started that way, and none lasted more than four years.
In Nevada, that national picture matters. The state’s House races and Senate seats have often been close. With only a few seats separating the parties in Washington, one Nevada result can decide which party sets the agenda and runs the committees. That is why out-of-state money and interests pour into Nevada congressional races. From CD1 through CD4, multiple millions have been spent on campaigns. While the state is nearly equal in voter registrations, democrat-friendly district maps and the impact of third-party Independent American Party candidates help explain why Democrats maintain a 3-1 seat advantage and seek to make it 4-0 this midterm.
