Democrats secured control of the Senate and made major gains in the House in the 2026 midterm elections, but the final balance of Congress remained uncertain on Nov. 6. CBS News reported that two Senate races and more than two dozen House contests had not yet been projected.
Democrats were on track to hold at least 54 Senate seats, compared with 44 for Republicans, while votes were still being counted in Alaska and Mississippi. Outstanding ballots and Alaska’s ranked-choice voting process could delay a final result there. In Mississippi, officials said thousands of mail ballots could still arrive within the five-day period allowed by state law, alongside affidavit ballots whose voters’ eligibility must be checked.
House counts and tabulations could take longer
Several unresolved House races could affect the parties’ final seat totals. In Maine’s 2nd District, Republican Paul LePage was just short of 50% in the initial count. Democrat Matt Dunlap had conceded, but state officials said a ranked-choice tabulation would proceed, beginning Nov. 9.
Florida’s 9th District was also uncalled after a Republican-led redistricting effort shifted the seat to the right. Democratic Rep. Darren Soto faced Republican Dan Green. Louisiana’s 6th District, redrawn after the Supreme Court rejected the state’s previous map, could go to a runoff because no candidate was close to a majority under the state’s primary system.
Other outstanding contests included close races in Republican-held districts in Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee and North Carolina. In Minnesota’s 1st District, Republican Rep. Brad Finstad faced Democrat Jake Johnson; state law allows a recount request when a candidate trails by less than 0.25 percentage points.
Some unresolved races were less likely to affect party control. In several California districts, candidates from the same party were competing against one another, while other contests still required ballot counting or a runoff. The remaining results will determine the precise margins in both chambers.
Nicole French 
Reid Bentley