Democrats Lead in Midterm Vote Count as Key Senate Races Remain Unresolved

Democrats have taken control of the House and Senate following the November 3 midterm elections, adding to their majorities as final vote tallies are completed. Party Chairman Ken Martin said the results reflect "millions of voters put their faith in Democrats to fight for them" and pledged to work toward a "more affordable America."

The party flipped seven Senate seats and 32 House seats, with victories ranging from abortion-rights candidates to a gubernatorial win in Texas. However, counts are still ongoing in the Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi, as well as numerous House contests.

In Mississippi, Secretary of State Michael Watson warned that certified results may not be available until after the November 13 deadline, noting that about 3,600 absentee ballots and an unknown number of affidavit ballots remain to be processed. With 80% of ballots counted, Democratic challenger Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by a narrow margin that could give Democrats an eighth flipped Senate seat.

Alaska's race between Democrat Mary Peltola and incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan is also tight, with Peltola ahead by 637 votes and 74% of ballots counted. Both candidates are below the 50% threshold required to avoid the state's ranked-choice voting process, which could extend result certification into late November. Former Justice Department voting-rights lawyer David Becker said the final tally may not be clear until the second half of the month.