Winner Revealed In CT U.S. Senate Race

CONNECTICUT — Two-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has successfully defended his seat in the upper chamber, according to the Associated Press.

As of 12:30 a.m., Murphy has received 339,849 votes and his challenger Matthew Corey received 281,052 votes.

Murphy has represented Connecticut since 2013. The seat has been blue since 1989.

He was challenged again by Republican and Manchester resident Matthew Corey, a local businessman. Two other candidates were angling for Murphy's job this time around: Green candidate Justin C. Paglino, and Cheaper Gas Groceries Party candidate Robert Finley Hyde.

Murphy thanked his supporters on Tuesday night following his victory:

"My mother grew up in public housing in New Britain, Connecticut, and she thinks it's such a miracle that her son, one generation removed from poverty, gets to be a United States Senator. And so, I'm here to say thank you and I'm here to pledge to the state of Connecticut that in my third term, there will not be a single day that I won't look upon this opportunity as the greatest gift of my life."

See also: U.S. Presidential Election Results In CT: Harris Wins Over Trump: AP

Prior to his time in the U.S. Senate, Murphy represented Connecticut's 5th Congressional District, from 2007 to 2013. Before moving to Washington, D.C., Murphy served two terms each in the Connecticut House of Representatives (1999–2003) and the Connecticut Senate (2003–2007).

In a battle over a seat vacated by retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman, Murphy first defeated former Connecticut secretary of state and current lieutenant governor Susan Bysiewicz in the Democratic primary. He went on to best Republican candidate Linda McMahon in the general election.

Under the umbrella of what his 2024 campaign describes as "Connecticut Values," Murphy has pledged to keep "fighting to ensure women… have access to abortion and contraceptives." The senator calls the fight against climate change "existential," and has championed legislation intended to see greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 40 percent in 2030.

Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has been one of Ukraine's most vocal cheerleaders in the Senate. He has advocated relentlessly for increased funding and munitions for the war-torn nation, and has gone on the record saying Ukraine's future is tied closely to how Americans vote on Nov. 5.

Since the Sandy Hook massacre, Murphy has worked to ratchet up federal gun control laws, and famously filibustered for 15 hours on the floor of the U.S. Senate following the Pulse Nightclub shootings.

With the U.S. presidential race still too close to call, Murphy said: "I know we are going to have a long night tonight. I don't think we will necessarily know this evening what the outcome is - whether we continue to control the United States Senate, whether we're able to make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. But I am feeling in my heart that we have left it all on the table. I know that there is no effort that wasn't spared. I am hopeful and confident whether it be tonight, tomorrow morning, or Wednesday afternoon, that Kamala Harris is going to be the next President of the United States."