National Dems go silent after rough night

National Senate Democrats have gone radio silent after a tough night of losses, issuing no statement and few tweets as they grapple with the fallout of a devastating night.

{mosads}The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) neither issued a press release nor responded to requests for comment as late as Wednesday morning on the party’s loss of at least seven Senate seats — and with them control of the upper chamber.

That includes a particularly embarrassing defeat in DSCC Chairman Michael Bennet’s home state of Colorado, where Democratic Sen. Mark Udall fell short relying on the same strategies and assumptions that vaulted Bennet to a win four years ago.

Most of the committee’s leadership was absent from Twitter as the losses racked up for Democrats.

That’s a stark contrast to the rapid reaction and instant spin the public had come to expect from the organization prior to Election Day.

Midday on Wednesday, DSCC Executive Director Guy Cecil took to Twitter to thank “all of the door knockers, phone bankers & poll workers. We’re all disappointed, but I’m forever grateful for your hard work.” He also added “I am also grateful for the hard working teams in every Dem campaign who gave it their all. We will regroup and fight another day.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of Democrats’ House campaign arm issued a statement early Wednesday morning insisting that despite steep losses, “it could’ve been worse.” The Democratic National Committee congratulated victors Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial nominee Tom Wolf in statements, but it also fell silent for most of the night.

While Democrats were surely going into the night prepared to respond to potential losses, they perhaps weren’t expecting a rebuke of the magnitude they ultimately faced. And the prognosis is grim for at least two other Democratic seats that are still up in the air, in Alaska and Louisiana.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also hadn’t issued a statement on the big GOP wins by Wednesday morning, but the committee’s top strategists were as active as ever across Twitter, and all four of the Republican committee chairmen will appear together at a noon press conference on Wednesday to discuss the night’s results. President Obama is scheduled to hold a Wednesday afternoon press conference. 

Updated at 12:36 p.m.