2020 Election Guide
A Guide to Changes in Congress
Updated as of 20 November 2020
A deeply divided country produced a close election marked by record voter turnout. Joe Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States by winning close races in Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin, and also carrying Michigan and Pennsylvania. While President Donald Trump has yet to formally concede and continues to bring legal challenges, there does not appear to be a viable pathway to change the result.
Control of Congress remains in doubt. Democrats will continue to run the House, but barely, after Republicans flipped at least eleven seats. When the remaining races are called or decided, the Democratic majority in the House may have been trimmed to a margin of just four or five.
The outcome in the Senate remains unsettled, as the country will await the results of the 5 January run-off elections in Georgia. Currently, the Republicans have 50 Senators and the Democrats have 48 (which includes two Independents who caucus with the Democrats). If the Democrats can defeat both Republican Georgia Senators in the high-stakes run-off elections, there would be 50-50 tie, which would be broken in favor of the Democrats by Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
To help you assess the 2020 election, we have prepared a comprehensive guide that summarizes the results and their impact on the 117th Congress, which will convene in January. The Election Guide lists all new members elected to Congress, updates the congressional delegations for each state, and provides a starting point for analyzing the coming changes to the House and Senate committees.
Please click here to download the most up-to-date version of this Election Guide, which will be updated on an ongoing basis as more of the close races are called and committees are finalized.
For additional information regarding the effects of the recent election, please contact Tim Peckinpaugh or any member of the Public Policy and Law practice.
For more election coverage, please see the alert "Election 2020: State of Play and What It Means for 2021."
This publication/newsletter is for informational purposes and does not contain or convey legal advice. The information herein should not be used or relied upon in regard to any particular facts or circumstances without first consulting a lawyer. Any views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the law firm's clients.
