2022 US Midterm Elections: Winner of Senate Race Could Take Until December to Decide

The political parties that will run one or both chambers of Congress for the next two years may not be known until early December.

But whether Republicans were able to edge out Democrats and win the majority in the US during the midterm elections remains to be seen.

Midterm Elections for Senate

The outcome of the House of Representatives election might be determined over the next days as votes are processed in 11 states. Democrats are anticipated to win 214 House seats, while Republicans are predicted to gain 221 seats, three more than the 218 needed to win the majority. Seven seats represent the error margin for this forecast.

Election authorities are still still counting votes in at least 31 races, CNBC reported. But if one or more of the House contests are so close that a recount is required, the final seat count can take longer than expected. Three Senate seats still lacked projected victors as of Thursday, two days after elections throughout the country closed.

Democrats presently hold all three of those seats, which are located in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. The results of those races will determine whether Democrats maintain the slimmest majority in the Senate, with a chance to significantly enhance that margin.

While the outcomes of the Senate battles in Arizona and Nevada may be known by the end of next week, a runoff special election will be held in Georgia on December 6 since neither of the major party candidates received more than 50% of the vote.

With 50 Republican senators making up the remaining members of the senate, there are now 48 Democratic senators and two independents who caucus with them.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris may break ties in her capacity as Senate President, Democrats retain a majority there. Democrats must prevail in at least two of the three uncalled elections in order to keep control starting in January.

But after Democratic Lt. Governor John Fetterman of Pennsylvania defeated Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz for the Senate seat being held by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who is retiring, the party was given some breathing room.

Runoff Election

The Senate, the upper body of Congress, is now under Democratic control. The Senate was evenly divided before the election on Tuesday, but the Democrats held the majority thanks to the casting vote of vice president Kamala Harris, according to BBC.

The Democrats have won Pennsylvania, defeating Trump's preferred candidate Mehmet Oz with only a few seats remaining to determine. Additionally, they managed to keep New Hampshire, where the Republican nominee had been doing well in the polls.

Ninety-seven percent of the votes have been tallied in Georgia, one of the three states, along with Arizona and Nevada, that may determine which party controls the Senate. Georgia will be determined by a run-off election on December 6 if neither party receives more than 50% of the vote.

When neither candidate receives the necessary number of votes to win, a runoff election, or second election, is generally held in the United States. In most cases, a simple majority is required to declare victory; however, in Georgia, this need is 50% of the vote or more, as per WION.