[U.S. Blue Tsunami] Extremely Close Races Abound... Winners Undecided in 50 Senate and House Races

Winners in 50 Races Still Undecided Despite Democrats Retaking Congress
Mississippi Senate Race in Republican Stronghold a Nail-Biter, Separated by 1,138 Votes

With Democrats having retaken control of both chambers in the U.S. midterm elections, winners had still not been declared in 50 congressional races as of Nov. 5 (local time), the third day of vote counting. Democrats have performed unexpectedly well even in areas that traditionally favor Republicans, leading to extremely close races in some districts, with margins ranging from dozens to thousands of votes.

As of this morning, counting had not been completed in two Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska, and 48 House races in California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and other states.

Although Democrats' sweeping victory has already determined which party will hold the majority in Congress, attention is focused on the remaining results, as the final seat count could alter the political balance of power in Congress.

The most closely watched race is the Senate contest in Mississippi, a Republican stronghold. Democratic candidate Scott Colom has received 464,926 votes (49.0%), narrowly leading Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who has received 463,788 votes (48.9%), by just 1,138 votes. The independent candidate has secured 19,934 votes (2.1%).

Mississippi has long been a Republican stronghold, but in this election the Democratic candidate is locked in an extremely close race with the incumbent. Despite 95.6% of the vote having been counted, the outcome remains uncertain.

About 15,000 of the uncounted ballots are reportedly provisional ballots that require additional verification of voter eligibility. These ballots were cast by voters whose identification or voter registration information had an issue, conditional on confirmation of their eligibility. The verification process is expected to continue into next week, likely delaying the final announcement.

The Senate race in Alaska is also still being counted. The state's vast area and challenging transportation conditions mean that delivering and counting ballots takes considerable time. In addition, Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, which takes voters' lower-ranked preferences into account if no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes. This could further delay the declaration of a winner.

Close races are also continuing in the House. About 1,798,000 ballots remain uncounted. In California, a Democratic stronghold, vote counting in seven districts is only 41% to 72% complete, leaving room for Democrats to gain additional seats. NBC projected that Democrats would ultimately win 259 of the 435 seats in the House, or 59.5%.

Extremely close races are also emerging in Florida, a Republican stronghold. In some districts, nearly 99% of the vote has been counted, but the candidates' vote share margins are less than one percentage point, leaving the outcomes undecided. Florida's 13th Congressional District, where Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna, an ally of President Donald Trump, is running, is also among the closely contested races.

The number of seats Democrats ultimately secure is expected to affect Congress's ability to check the Trump Administration. In particular, to override a presidential veto, at least two-thirds of the members present and voting in each chamber must vote in favor. The more seats Democrats gain, the stronger their political position may become to counter President Trump's vetoes, a tool he can use to block legislation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.