GOP keeps Senate control as Democrats fall short

GOP Rep. Todd Young beat Evan Bayh, a former Democratic senator and governor who mounted a much-ballyhooed comeback bid, but wilted under scrutiny.

[...] there was good news for Democrats in New Hampshire on Wednesday when Gov. Maggie Hassan declared victory, defeating first-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who conceded the close race and offered her congratulations.

Some blamed unexpected turnout by certain segments of white voters, or FBI Director James Comey’s bombshell announcement that he was reviewing a new batch of emails connected with Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Democrats did grab a Republican-held seat in Illinois, where GOP Sen. Mark Kirk lost to Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a double-amputee Iraq war vet.

Another bright spot for Democrats was in Nevada, where Minority Leader Harry Reid’s retirement after five terms created a vacancy and the one Democratic-held seat that was closely contested.

Reid maneuvered to fill it with Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada’s former attorney general, who spoke of her family’s immigrant roots in a state with heavy Latino turnout.