{
  "id": 17989305,
  "title": "Why it could take a while to know who will control Congress",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/why-it-could-take-a-while-to-know-who-will-control-congress",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-03T16:40:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PBS NewsHour",
    "slug": "pbs-newshour",
    "url": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/why-it-could-take-a-while-to-know-who-will-control-congress"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The upcoming U.S. midterm elections have significant implications for which party will control Congress. However, determining the outcome is not straightforward. The Associated Press is tasked with calling races in all 435 House districts and the 35 Senate contests up for election. To secure a majority in the House, a party must capture 218 seats, currently held by Republicans by a narrow 219-218 margin, with two vacancies. In the Senate, Democrats need 51 seats, while Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage, with Vice President JD Vance holding the tie-breaking vote.\n\nHistorically, the AP has taken varying periods to declare control of the Senate and House. After the 2022 midterm elections, the AP announced Senate control the day after Election Day, with the House call following eight days later. In the 2024 presidential cycle, the gap between the two calls was larger, with Senate control announced the day after the election and the House call arriving eight days after.\n\nSeveral factors can prolong the announcement of election results. Some states, like California, which has the largest population, often take days to count all their mail-in ballots. In 2022, nearly half of California's votes were counted after Election Day. Additionally, states utilizing ranked-choice voting, such as Alaska and Maine, which have key Senate races this year, may experience delays. In ranked-choice systems, a candidate can win with more than 50% of votes after the first round, but if no candidate reaches that threshold, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the voter's second choice. This process can significantly delay the final results. The AP refrains from making projections and will only declare a winner when it's determined that no scenario allows the trailing candidates to close the gap.",
  "summary": "Control of the House depends on which party reaches the 218 seats necessary, while the Senate requires 51 for Democrats or 50 for Republicans because of Vice President JD Vance's tiebreaking vote.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Financial Times",
        "title": "US voters prepare to deliver verdict on Trump",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/us-voters-prepare-to-deliver-verdict-on-trump",
        "published": "2026-11-03T10:00:06.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "The Latest: Voters will decide control of Congress in major test of Trump’s second term",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/the-latest-voters-will-decide-control-of-congress-in-major-test-of",
        "published": "2026-11-03T13:40:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}