Incumbent Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada conceded to his Democratic opponent, Rep. Jacky Rosen, providing Democrats a lone pick up in a night where the GOP has strengthened their hold on the Senate.
Rosen had 50.9 percent of the vote to Heller’s 45 percent with 78 percent of precincts at the time of concession, according to The New York Times.
Heller called and congratulated Rosen over the phone before giving a concession speech in front of his supporters.
Sen. @DeanHeller says he has called Jacky Rosen and conceded race to her.
Heller: As a party we’re going to have to come back together and decide how we’re going to go forward into the future. pic.twitter.com/waMxZBkxrL
— Michael Scott Davidson (@DavidsonLVRJ) November 7, 2018
Heller was considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans in the country. He was the only Republican up for election in a state won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Outside money dominated the race. Some $98 million has been poured into the contest, about two-thirds of which was spent by outside groups. Polls showed Rosen in a statistical tie with his Democratic opponent in the lead-up to election night, according to Real Clear Politics.
Rosen, a one-term representative who had no electoral experience prior to her election to Congress in 2016, was only six months into her post before announcing her candidacy for the Senate.
“With a majority of just two in the Senate, President Trump couldn’t possibly succeed with his hateful far-right agenda without the support of Senator Dean Heller,” Rosen said in her campaign announcement.
Rosen framed Heller as a “rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump throughout the campaign.
Heller embraced President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, a remarkable turnaround from 2016 when he said he was “vehemently opposed” to Trump’s candidacy. (RELATED: At Senate Debate, Republican Heller Touts His Good Relationship With Trump — But They Used To Fight ‘Like Cats And Dogs’)
Heller was initially opposed the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but flipped after Trump pressured the senator.
Rosen called Heller’s reversal on Obamacare the “biggest broken promise in modern Nevada history” at a Las Vegas rally on Friday.
“I’ll tell you where he stands, or where he flip-flops. I’m not sure he knows where he stands,” she said.
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