This month’s elections have changes the face of the legislative branch. The Republican Party picked up seven Senate seats throughout the country. On the other side, the Democrats have lost seven seats. There is a chance for either party to pick up two more seats because there was not a 50% majority in the Louisiana and Alaska races and therefore both have gone to runoffs.

The only non-incumbent Democrat who won a seat in the Senate was Gary Peters of Michigan, a veteran and Eagle Scout. Besides Peters, seats that the Democrats maintained come from incumbents in ten states, including Massachusetts’ Ed Markey.

In the Massachusetts governor’s race, Republican Charlie Baker had a narrow win over Democratic candidate Martha Coakley. Baker plans to encourage economic growth and improve education for students throughout the commonwealth, among other issues. He won by a three percent margin.

In the local State Senate race, Republican Don Humason of Westfield won reelection against Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Holyoke.

There were several questions on the ballots. The first question addressed a recent law that passed through the state legislature that would raise the gas tax automatically with inflation. The people of Massachusetts repealed this law. Question Two was an attempt to expand bottle deposits to include all non-alcohol containers. This question was voted down. Question Three was an attempt to repeal the 2011 law that allows several resort casinos to come to Massachusetts. This question had direct impact on the Pioneer Valley because of the casino that is supposed to be built in Springfield. The law was not repealed, so the casino is likely to be built. The fourth question on the ballot entitles employees who work for companies with eleven or more people employed forty hours of sick pay a year. This question was approved on the ballot.