US midterm results remain uncertain as key races await final counts

More than one week has passed since American voters cast their ballots in the midterm elections, yet the final size of the Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress remains unclear. As of late Tuesday, over a dozen congressional races are still waiting to be officially called, leaving the exact composition of the incoming government in January in a state of flux.

In the Senate, Democrats have already secured 54 seats. However, the party could potentially increase this number by one or two seats as vote counting continues in Alaska and Mississippi. These two states present unique logistical challenges that have delayed the finalization of results.

In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom held a lead of approximately 2,600 votes over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith late on Tuesday. The state lacks a central vote reporting system, meaning journalists and analysts must gather data directly from all 82 counties. Key deadlines this week include the receipt of mail-in absentee ballots by Tuesday and the submission of certified county results, including provisional ballots, by Friday. The state is scheduled to certify its final results on December 3.

Mississippi does not permit automatic recounts or candidate-requested recounts unless a court orders one. Secretary of State Michael Watson noted that about 14,200 provisional ballots had been processed, with roughly 80 percent accepted, while about 2,700 mail-in ballots had not yet been returned. The Associated Press may declare a winner if the lead is deemed too large for a legal challenge to alter the outcome.

Meanwhile, in Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by about 2,500 votes as of Tuesday, with an estimated 76 percent of the total vote counted. Absentee ballots, including those mailed from outside the United States, are still being processed. The final absentee ballots are accepted as late as November 18. Because Peltola was slightly below the majority threshold, the race could proceed to ranked-choice tabulation on that same date. The state's target date for certifying election results is November 25.

In the House of Representatives, Democrats have claimed their largest elected majority since 2008 with 255 seats. However, more than a dozen additional races remain undecided, with margins often less than one percentage point. North Carolina has the most uncalled House races, with four remaining, all involving challenges to Republican incumbents. Recount requests in the state must be filed by noon on November 17.

In California, only one of the remaining House races, in the 23rd District, will impact the chamber's balance of power, as the other uncalled race is between two Democrats. Counties in the state must certify their results by December 3, with the state certification scheduled for December 11.

Other tight House races include South Carolina's 2nd District, where a recount is ongoing after Republican Joe Wilson led Democrat Zyon Khalifa by only about 3,000 votes. In Minnesota's 1st District, the top two candidates were separated by about 300 votes, while in Tennessee's 4th District, Democrat Victoria Broderick and Republican Scott DesJarlais were also separated by a similar margin of approximately 300 votes.

Two gubernatorial races also remain undecided. In Kansas, Democratic state Senator Cindy Holscher led Republican Ty Masterson by less than one percentage point. A close-race audit was triggered in six contests, including the governorship, requiring a hand count of selected ballots before the November 16 certification deadline.

In Alaska, the gubernatorial race saw Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leading Bernadette Wilson by about 45,000 votes, with 49.6 percent of the vote to 28.9 percent. With only about 76 percent of votes counted, the race may advance to ranked-choice tabulation if no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the total.