Democrats Edge Toward House and Senate Control as Mississippi and Alaska Races Stay Hotly Contested
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Democrats have locked in at least 253 House seats and 54 Senate seats, putting them on the verge of control in both chambers, while the still-unresolved contests in Mississippi and Alaska continue amid razor-thin margins, ballot fights, and mounting scrutiny.
Democrats have clinched a minimum of 253 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate, putting the party within reach of majorities in both chambers, while dozens of other races remain too close to call.
In Mississippi, Democratic Senate nominee Scott Colom trails incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by roughly 1,800 votes, and both campaigns have filed letters with state officials over how provisional and affidavit ballots are being handled. The NAACP has sent attorneys to the state, with its president, Derrick Johnson, saying the organization is “working around the clock in Mississippi to make sure voters who used provisional ballots are counted.”
Alaska’s Senate race shows former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola holding a narrow lead over Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, a margin that The New York Times’ analysis suggests is likely to hold, though final results may still hinge on pending mail-in ballots and a possible ranked-choice tabulation scheduled for Nov. 18.
President Donald J. Trump posted on social media that the party’s losses were tied to his absence from the ballot, while Utah Republican Senator John Curtis said the defeat was driven by voters’ concerns about the economy and the president’s policies.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied rumors of his departure from the Trump administration but declined to discuss his political future.
The election also produced Democratic socialist victories in mayoral races in several major cities, and a national YouGov poll found that 56 % of American adults support electing the president by popular vote rather than through the Electoral College. Legal scholars note that any interstate compact to replace the Electoral College would still need congressional and presidential approval and could face extensive court challenges.