More than a dozen key races remain too early to call one week after Election Day

One week after Election Day, the Democratic Party is still uncertain about their majority control in the House and Senate. As of Tuesday, more than a dozen races were too early to call. Democrats are projected to retain 54 Senate seats, but could potentially gain one or two more from Republican challengers in Alaska and Mississippi. In the House, Democrats are on track for their largest majority since 2008, with the possibility of increasing their seats as remaining races are counted.

In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by approximately 2,600 votes. The state's vote-counting process has two key deadlines: mail-in absentee ballots must be received by Tuesday, and certified election results must be submitted by Friday. As of Tuesday, about 14,200 provisional ballots had been processed, with roughly 80% accepted and 2,700 mail-in absentee ballots yet to be returned.

Mississippi does not have automatic recounts or allow candidates to request one, unless a court orders one.

In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola is leading Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by around 2,500 votes, with about 76% of the votes counted. If no candidate achieves a majority, the race will proceed to ranked choice voting on November 18, with the state aiming to certify results by November 25. Alaska automatically conducts a recount only in the event of a tie; otherwise, candidates may request a recount within five days of state certification.

Several House races in North Carolina remain undecided, all of which feature Republican incumbents facing challenges. In California, only one of the remaining House races could impact the chamber's power dynamics, as it pits a Democrat against another Democrat in the 23rd District. Mail ballots must be received by Tuesday, with counties required to certify results by December 3. The state will officially certify its results on December 11.

In South Carolina's 2nd District, Republican incumbent Joe Wilson is trailing Democrat Zyon Khalia by about 3,000 votes after 99% of the votes were counted. A recount is currently underway, with Wilson leading Khalia by only about 3,000 votes. In Minnesota's 1st District, the race remains undecided, with a 300-vote gap between the top two candidates and an estimated 99% of votes counted. Recounts are only triggered if the margin between candidates is less than 0.25% of the vote.

In Tennessee's 4th District, Democrat Victoria Broderick and Republican incumbent Scott DesJarlais are separated by less than 1 percentage point. Recounts are held only upon a legal challenge in court, with no automatic recounts. In Kansas, Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher leads Republican Senate President Ty Masterson by less than 1 percentage point.

A close-race audit requiring a hand count of selected ballots has been triggered in six Kansas races, including the gubernatorial race, which must be completed before November 16 for counties to certify their results.