This post was written by Hatchet reporters Robin Eberhardt and Laura Whaling.

The GW College Democrats cringed as their party lost control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night.

Over 60 members met in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom to follow the results – and witness the extent of the Senate shakeup.

Some students sat in silence as MSNBC reporters announced a Republican victory, while others booed. When the unsurprising Democratic wins were announced, the room exploded into applause.

“It’s not looking too good for us, but we’re still holding hopes from some key races,” said Owen Evans, a freshman.

College Democrats President Connor Schmidt said he knew Democrats were not projected to keep the Senate, but that he believed his group’s work, like spending a weekend campaigning for losing Kentucky candidate Alison Grimes, was still valuable.

“I think it’s an unfortunate reality,” Schmidt said. “I’m glad we did a lot of work on a number of really important campaigns.”