Democrats hold Congress but tight midterm races in Alaska, Mississippi and Colorado remain undecided

Democrats secure control of Congress while key midterm races stay unsettled

On Thursday, 5 November, the United States saw a historic shift in congressional power as the Democratic Party gained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The victories were celebrated across the country, but a number of pivotal contests remain too close to call.

In the state of Alaska, the Senate race between incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola is still within a few hundred votes. Peltola, a former congresswoman and Native American, leads Sullivan by just over 600 votes, with provisional and late‑arriving mail ballots still to be counted until 10 November.

Mississippi’s Senate contest is similarly tight. Democrat Scott Colom holds a lead of a little over 1,100 votes over incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde‑Smith, the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress. The state’s final count will also be completed by 10 November.

In Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District, Republican Lauren Boebert, a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump, trails Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher by a narrow margin. Seven percent of the votes are still uncounted.

Background

The 2026 midterm elections marked a significant realignment of congressional power. Democrats, who had not held a majority in either chamber since the Watergate era, now control both houses. The shift follows a series of state‑level elections that saw Democrats flip several long‑held Republican seats.

Mary Peltola centered her political platform on the themes of fishing, family, and freedom, whereas Dan Sullivan emphasized tax reductions and the state's energy capabilities. In Mississippi, Colom’s platform centred on economic concerns, whereas Hyde‑Smith, endorsed by President Trump, campaigned on her record as the state’s first female congresswoman.

The Alaska race has attracted national attention due to allegations that Peltola and Alaska Democrats recruited an independent candidate also named Dan Sullivan to siphon votes from the incumbent. Peltola has denied any involvement in such a scheme.

Why it matters

The outcomes of these contests could influence the size of the Democratic majority in the Senate and the House. A victory for Colom would make him the first Black U.S. senator from Mississippi since 1875 and the first Democrat to hold the seat since 1982, a state with the highest proportion of African Americans in the country.

In Alaska, the race is critical for the balance of power in the Senate, as the seat could tip the majority if it swings to either party. Similarly, Boebert’s close contest in Colorado could affect the composition of the House, where the margin of victory is narrow.

What happens next

The final counts for Alaska and Mississippi will be completed by 10 November, once provisional and late‑arriving ballots are tallied. Until then, the results remain undecided, and the ultimate scale of the Democratic majority in Congress is still pending.