Three days after the election, the United States remains suspended from counting votes for the midterm elections. In several states, the winners have not yet been chosen, a situation linked in particular to voting by mail.
This Friday it is still impossible to determine who of the Republicans or the Democrats will control the House of Representatives and the Senate, although the trends are emerging.
Towards a narrow Republican victory in the House
For the House, which has 435 elected members, there are still 26 seats to be assigned, according to CNN’s count. As the latest projections indicate, and in line with what the polls predicted, the Lower House of Congress should go from a Democratic majority to a Republican majority, although the red wave promised by Donald Trump has not materialized on many levels.
Also according to CNN, the Republicans have so far won 211 seats, compared to 198 for the Democrats. To win a majority, a party must win 218 seats. Many outcomes remain to be determined in Colorado, Alaska or New Mexico.
The latest projections from NBC News show a possible victory for the Republicans with 220 seats, compared to 215 seats for the Democrats. Although it specifies that a margin of error of seven seats is possible. But to get definitive and official results as far as the House is concerned, it may still take several weeks.
“To know the outcome of the election, we should stop talking about election day and rather about election week,” Nathan Gonzales, a specialist on the US electoral system, told Reuters.
In California, for example, votes are counted over several weeks because the envelopes are considered valid even if they arrive several days after the election, as evidenced by the postmark.
Three crucial seats for senators
On the Senate side, the trend is the opposite and Democrats are on track to retain their majority. Three seats remain to be decided. 48 seats have already been awarded to Democrats and 49 to Republicans, according to CNN. To get a majority, Democrats need 50 senators, with Vice President Kamala Harris counting for the 51st vote. Republicans need 51 seats.
Among the three seats that remain to be decided, Arizona is first. In this southern US state, Democratic candidate Mark Kelly is highly favored over his Trump rival Blake Masters, with a five-point lead in 80% of the votes counted.
In Nevada, by contrast, it is Republican candidate Adam Laxalt who leads, with 49% of the 88% of votes counted, ahead of outgoing Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto by just under 9,000 votes. But the trend could well change. The votes that remain to be attributed are those that have been sent in advance by mail, a practice favored by Democratic voters.
Towards a second round in Georgia
In reality, all attention is focused on Georgia, where outgoing Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has 49.6% of the vote, ahead of his Democratic opponent Herschel Walker, who has 48.3% of the vote. But problem, none of the candidates seems capable of surpassing the 50% mark, while 99% of the votes have been counted.
A situation that will require the organization of a second round, already set for December 6. Therefore, before this date the final results of the Upper House will not be known.
Source: BFM TV
