Several senators-elect, including Annie Andrews, Adam Hamilton and Abdul El-Sayed, are holding back support for Chuck Schumer. He likely still has the votes, and no rival has entered the race.
A federal judge refused to block Colorado's law that limits who can buy many semiautomatic guns. The ruling is not final, and the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to take up the larger question this term.
Democrats have won the Senate majority, but Alaska's contest between Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan remains too close to call, leaving the final size of the Democratic majority unsettled.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Democrats should debate their direction before picking a leader, while Chuck Schumer predicts he will be reelected majority leader when the new Democratic Senate takes control in January.
A Harvard University forecast updated for Election Day says Democrats are very likely to win the House and are favored in the Senate. A forecast is a probability, not a result, and votes are still being cast.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the Texas governor's race and has promised to freeze data center approvals and review corporate tax breaks. Elon Musk spent heavily to stop her, and his companies' shares fell Wednesday.
In the Files This Week
The people named most in our stories over the last seven days. Pick one for every file we hold on them.