Democrats Win House Control as Key Races Remain Uncalled
The Associated Press has not yet called several Senate and governor contests in Mississippi, Alaska and Kansas as of Wednesday noon Eastern time.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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Democrats flipped seats in places Republicans comfortably won two years ago and secured control of both chambers of Congress. Sixty-eight House races where party control is at stake remain uncalled, along with several close Senate and governor contests.
Why it matters
The outcome of the uncalled races will determine the final balance of power in Congress and several state executive offices across the country. The Associated Press does not project winners until no realistic scenario allows trailing candidates to close the gap.
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leads Republican Bernadette Wilson by 20 percentage points in Alaska's governor race with 49.2% of the vote, while the Senate race there requires more than 50% to avoid ranked-choice voting. Mississippi's Senate contest has no automatic recount process, leaving the outcome dependent on final certified counts.
The players
Associated Press
The Associated Press is a nonprofit news cooperative whose race-calling process requires that no scenario allow trailing candidates to overtake the leader before declaring a winner.
Mary Peltola
Mary Peltola is a Democrat and former U.S. House member from Alaska who is contesting the state's Senate race against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
Dan Sullivan
Dan Sullivan is the Republican U.S. senator from Alaska who is trailing Democrat Mary Peltola in the closely watched Senate contest.
Cindy Hyde-Smith
Cindy Hyde-Smith is the Republican U.S. senator from Mississippi who is trailing Democrat Scott Colom by a few dozen votes in her race.
The details
Democrats flipped seats in districts Republicans comfortably carried two years ago, giving the party control of both chambers of Congress. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton became the first member of his party to win a Kansas Senate seat in nearly a century, while the governor's race remains within a percentage point.
Timeline
Wednesday, noon Eastern time: The Associated Press had not yet called several Senate and governor races.
Legislative Policy Context
Democrats' recapture of both congressional chambers marks a reversal of the Republican control established two years earlier, and the Kansas Senate win by Adam Hamilton breaks a nearly century-long streak of Republican Senate representation there. The uncalled races will determine whether this shift is confined to the House or extends to the Senate's policymaking agenda.
Control of Congress determines which party sets the legislative agenda on federal spending, taxes and regulation for the next two years. Residents in Alaska, Kansas and Mississippi will not know their final statewide results until the remaining counts and any ranked-choice tabulation are complete.
The takeaway
Election outcomes in close races often take days to finalize, and the Associated Press waits until no realistic path remains for trailing candidates before declaring a winner. Readers should rely on certified results rather than early partial counts when forming conclusions.
Further reading
Follow the next steps in the national fight for control of Congress through our Legislative Policy coverage.
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