Sen. Harry Reid congratulated Sen. Mitch McConnell for taking his job late Tuesday, after Republicans swept most of the key Senate races and swamped Democrats up and down the ballot.  

“I’d like to congratulate Senator McConnell, who will be the new Senate Majority Leader,” the Nevada Democrat said of the Kentucky Republican in an emailed statement. “The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together. I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class.”  

The terse statement left much unsaid; Democrats will have plenty of infighting over what went wrong, with many already behind the scenes pointing fingers at the president and the White House.  

But Reid’s floor strategy — in effect a prevent defense — also failed to bear fruit.  

Reid’s statement also makes clear he intends to stick around rather than relinquish the party leadership reigns.  

And despite grumbling, there’s no open revolt against his leadership  — yet.  

There’s also the business of what to do in a lame-duck session before McConnell controls the gavel — such as nominations and an omnibus spending bill.  

But that’s tomorrow’s story.  

Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.