• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
PoliticsPolling

Oddsmakers: Republicans are now the clear favorite to win the House and Senate in 2022

By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 3, 2021, 10:30 AM ET

On the heels of the gubernatorial race in Virginia, Vice President Kamala Harris urged voters to support Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, a former governor of Virginia, adding that “what happens in Virginia will, in large part, determine what happens in 2022.” Unfortunately for her party, oddsmakers agree with Harris’s assessment.

Soon after it became clear on Tuesday that Republican Glenn Youngkin, a businessman who spent 25 years in private equity at the Carlyle Group, would become the next governor of Virginia, Republicans saw a spike in their chances of retaking both the U.S. House—where Democrats hold a 221 to 213 seat edge—and the U.S. Senate—which is split 50-50 and Democrats control it through Harris’s tie breaking vote—in 2022.

As Fortune has previously reported, gubernatorial races in Virginia—which occur the year following presidential elections—are seen as a harbinger for what will come next in the higher-stakes midterms. Republican Bob McDonnell’s big win in 2009 was seen as a precursor for the GOP’s 2010 Tea Party takeover. In 2013, McAuliffe’s narrow +2.6 percentage point win in the blue state foreshadowed his party’s weak showing in the 2014 midterms, while the big +8.9 point win by Democrat Ralph Northam in 2017 preceded the so-called Democratic blue wave in the 2018 midterms.

That’s why the Republican National Committee is feeling so good following Youngkin’s win: They see his +2.1 point win in the state that President Joe Biden won by 10.1 points in 2020, as momentum having finally shifted from blue to red.

According to PredictIt, Youngkin’s win quickly translated into a bump in the GOP’s odds to retake the House—which they lost in 2018. Back in early August, Republicans led Democrats by a 69 cent to 33 cent margin (or how much you’d need to wager on them to win $1) in the betting market. Following the Virginia win, that gap widened in Republicans’ favor (82 cents to 18 cents).

There is, of course, a big wild card that prevents bettors from fully understanding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s odds of retaining the chamber: redistricting. We’re currently amid the once-in-a-decade period where statehouses across the nation can redraw their congressional districts. It remains to be seen which party will benefit the most from redistricting this go-around (although, through the first 14 state redraws, FiveThirtyEight says Democrats have netted the most seats) or how far the parties will go down the gerrymandering rabbit hole.

The more challenging takeover will be flipping the Senate.

The good news for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who would like to regain his old jobs as Senate majority leader, is that trajectory is also on the side of Republicans in the Senate. Indeed, back in early August, PredictIt had Democrats and Republicans tied in the Senate race. But that has gradually moved in Republicans’ favor as Biden’s approval rating has slipped.

The GOP got another boost following the election on Tuesday. Prior to the Virginia win, the Senate was more of a toss-up. However, it’s now clearly favoring Republicans, according to the betting markets: According to PredictIt, Republican odds top Democratic odds of taking the Senate chamber next year by a 64 cent to 37 cent margin.

That said, in order to retake the Senate next November, Republicans will need to hold on to 18 of their current seats in states that Donald Trump won last year and another two seats in states Biden won (Pennsylvania and Wisconsin). Then they’d need to win at least one Senate seat currently held by a Democratic Senator. The most likely targets are Georgia, Arizona, or Nevada—all states that Trump lost by a small margin last year.

More politics coverage from Fortune:

  • A shortage of 80,000 truck drivers is wreaking havoc on the supply chain—and it’s about to get worse
  • It could take nearly a decade for public transit to return to pre-pandemic levels
  • Top D.C. financial regulators release stablecoin report and urge Congress to pass legislation
  • FDA tightens rules for breast implants, after deaths and years of scrutiny over health risks
  • Greenpeace to take Volkswagen to court in effort to stop it from selling polluting cars

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Lance LambertFormer Real Estate Editor
Twitter icon

Lance Lambert is a former Fortune editor who contributes to the Fortune Analytics newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

trump, powell
CommentaryFederal Reserve
Is Powell’s Fed head independence dead? It’s just one more diversionary trick as Trump outfoxes himself
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Stephen HenriquesJanuary 12, 2026
7 hours ago
Exxon Mobil CEO Darren Woods, seated to the right, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump, left, speaks during a meeting with oil company executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 9, 2026. President Trump is aiming to convince oil executives to support his plans in Venezuela, a country whose energy resources he says he expects to control for years to come. U.S. forces seized Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in a sweeping military operation on Jan. 3, with Trump making no secret that control of Venezuela's oil was at the heart of his actions.
EnergyExxonMobil
Trump threatens to keep ‘too cute’ Exxon out of Venezuela after CEO provides reality check on ‘univestable’ industry
By Jordan BlumJanuary 12, 2026
9 hours ago
CryptoBlockchain
Former New York Mayor Eric Adams has a new act as a crypto entrepreneur—though details of his ‘NYC Token’ remain vague
By Leo Schwartz and Ben WeissJanuary 12, 2026
10 hours ago
ali
PoliticsPost Office
Muhammad Ali once joked he should be on a stamp because ‘that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked.’ Wish granted
By Susan Haigh and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
10 hours ago
mackenzie
Politicsphilanthropy
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $45 million to LGBTQ+ youth hotline organization, The Trevor Project
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressJanuary 12, 2026
10 hours ago
EconomyFederal Reserve
The FOMC has the power to pick its own chair and could keep Powell—unless the DOJ probe and Supreme Court let Trump oust him from the Fed
By Jason MaJanuary 12, 2026
14 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Sell America’: Investors dump U.S. assets in fear of the end of Fed independence
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 12, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Treasury spent $276 billion in interest on the national debt in the final three months of 2025, says the CBO—up $30 billion from a year prior
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 12, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
An exec at $62 billion giant Colgate says Gen Z workers, despite getting flak for being woke and lazy, are actually ‘pushing us to get better’
By Emma BurleighJanuary 10, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
This CEO laid off nearly 80% of his staff because they refused to adopt AI fast enough. 2 years later, he says he'd do it again
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 11, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
A Supreme Court ruling that strikes down Trump's tariffs would be the fastest way to revive the stalling job market, top economist says
By Jason MaJanuary 11, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
I run one of America's most successful remote work programs and the critics are right. Their solutions are all wrong, though
By Justin HarlanJanuary 11, 2026
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.