Mississippi, Alaska, and Kansas races remain tight as AP awaits final counts
Democrats flipped seats to take both chambers of Congress, yet narrow margins in three states keep specific outcomes undecided past Wednesday noon.
By Thiago Kovalenko ·
The Associated Press has not declared winners in a handful of Senate and governor races as of noon Eastern time on Wednesday. These contests feature narrow margins that defy the broader trend of Democrats flipping seats previously held by Republicans. That shift secured Democratic control of both chambers of Congress, but uncertainty persists in specific districts.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom holds a lead of a few dozen votes over incumbent Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The state lacks an automatic recount process, though a challenger can petition a court to order one. The AP will not call a winner until no scenario allows the trailing candidate to close the gap.
Alaska presents two undecided races. In the Senate, Democrat Mary Peltola leads incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan by 626 votes with an estimated 74% of ballots counted. If neither candidate surpasses 50% of the vote, the result moves to ranked-choice tabulation. In the governor’s race, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leads Republican Bernadette Wilson by 20 percentage points. Kreiss-Tomkins has 49.2% of the vote, triggering the same threshold for a second round.
Kansas remains close in the governor’s race. Democrat Cindy Holscher leads Republican Ty Masterson by 5,557 votes with an estimated 98% of the count complete. This narrow margin follows Democrat Adam Hamilton’s victory in the state Senate, a party win not seen in nearly a century. Both Holscher and Masterson currently serve in the state Senate, with Masterson holding the position of president.
Ninety-eight percent of votes counted in Kansas contrasts with the 74% figure in Alaska. The AP does not make projections, relying solely on vote totals to declare outcomes. These delays keep the final tally of seats in play for both parties.
