Tight Senate races in seven states could delay final results for days

Vote counting begins Tuesday night, but the final tally for the U.S. Senate could take days or even weeks to complete. While control of the House may be decided sooner due to larger margins, the Senate race hinges on seven highly competitive states. Two of these states use ranked choice voting, a method that extends the time required to certify results.

The House outcome is unlikely to depend on a single seat, but the Senate majority could rest on one. Several key contests are closing polls between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern Time. In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is projected to defeat Republican Representative Mike Collins. The gubernatorial race in the state is tighter, pitting Republican nominee Rick Jackson against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger noted that new laws require counties to report results within an hour of polls closing.

South Carolina presents an unexpectedly tight Senate contest. Senator Darline Graham, who replaced her late brother Lindsey Graham, faces Democratic nominee Annie Andrews. National polls describe the race in the heavily Republican state as a toss-up, while the Cook Political Report favors the Republican candidate. North Carolina offers another critical Senate battle. Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper challenges Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman. Democrats have not won a Senate seat in North Carolina since 2008.

Ohio marks the first of the seven tight Senate races that could define chamber control. Republican Senator Jon Husted and former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown are deadlocked. In the governor’s race, Democratic candidate Amy Acton leads in polls against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy recently aired an attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, a move that generated backlash which may impact both candidates.

Polls close in more than half the country by 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Maine represents a targeted pickup opportunity for Democrats, as they aim to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins. This seat is unique as a Republican hold in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024. Florida, now solidly Republican, features a governor’s race between Byron Donalds and David Jolly. The state’s redistricted House map will be tested, with seven competitive seats identified by the Cook Political Report.

The 9 p.m. Eastern Time block includes Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, and Texas. These states host competitive Senate races that may determine control of the chamber. In Texas, Democratic nominee James Talarico faces Republican Ken Paxton, a contest that has not favored Democrats in statewide races since the early 1990s. In Michigan, the gubernatorial battle between Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers remains a toss-up, with media attention focused on the impact of recent campaign advertising.

The final batch of polls closes at 11 p.m. Eastern Time in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. California voters approved a new congressional map in 2025, shifting several House races toward Democrats. The count in these western states will provide the final data points for the night’s results.