Control of Congress Shifts as Dozens of Midterm Races Remain Undecided

The 2026 midterm elections brought a major shift in Congress as Democrats won control of the Senate and picked up dozens of House seats in what is on track to be one of the largest midterm routs in recent decades. Exact margins are still not clear because winners have not been projected in two Senate races and more than two dozen House districts.

Senate and House Races

Democrats are set to enter next year with at least 54 Senate seats compared to Republicans' 44, but two Senate contests remain uncalled. In Alaska, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola are locked in a tight race shaped by ranked-choice voting and outstanding ballots, with final results expected up to 15 days after Election Day. In Mississippi, the race between Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom is a toss-up as state officials wait for outstanding mail and affidavit ballots. Meanwhile, uncalled House races stretch across several states. In Maine's 2nd District, Democrat Matt Dunlap conceded the race, but officials announced a ranked-choice tabulation will start November 9 because former Republican Governor Paul Lake finished just shy of the 50 percent mark. Other uncalled House contests feature races in states like Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Arizona.

Context

Congressional elections in the United States often take days or weeks to finalize due to mail-in ballot rules, overseas votes, and specific state systems like ranked-choice voting or mandatory recounts. These lingering contests are a normal part of the American electoral process when margins are exceptionally narrow, rather than a sign of voting errors.