OMM Newsroom
Democrats celebrated sweeping victories in the US midterm elections, including gaining control of both chambers of Congress, but several important races remained too close to call on Thursday, according to the BBC.
Votes were still being counted in tight Senate contests in traditionally Republican Alaska and Mississippi. The results could determine the size of the Democrats’ majority.
Several House races were also undecided, including that of Lauren Boebert, an ally of President Donald Trump, who was facing Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher in Colorado.
Senate contests in Mississippi and Alaska
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by just over 1,100 votes. The state had until 10 November to count provisional ballots and mail ballots arriving late.
Colom campaigned on addressing economic concerns. Hyde-Smith, the first woman to represent Mississippi in the US Congress, had Trump’s endorsement and campaigned alongside him.
A victory would make Colom the first Black US senator elected in Mississippi since 1875 and the first Democrat to win the seat since 1982. Mississippi has the largest proportion of African Americans of any US state, and the group votes overwhelmingly Democratic, the BBC reported.
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan by just over 600 votes, with more ballots still to be counted. Peltola, a former congresswoman and Native American, campaigned on “fish, family and freedom”. Sullivan, a two-term senator, highlighted his efforts to secure tax cuts and “unleash Alaska’s energy potential”.
The Alaska contest has drawn controversy because another candidate named Dan Sullivan appeared on the ballot. The New York Times reported last week allegations that Peltola and Alaska Democrats had sought to confuse voters by recruiting the independent Dan Sullivan to draw votes away from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Peltola denied knowing of any such plan.
House races and California wealth-tax proposal
In Colorado’s Fourth District, Boebert trailed Laubacher by a narrow margin, with 7% of votes left to count. In Tennessee’s reliably Republican Fourth District, Republican Representative Scott DesJarlais was behind Democrat Victoria Broderick.
In Arizona’s Second District, Republican incumbent Eli Crane led Democrat Jonathan Nez by fewer than 4,000 votes, with many ballots still to be counted. Losses for Boebert, DesJarlais and other Republicans in House races in Nevada and Ohio would further increase the Democrats’ majority and represent a greater rejection of Trump and his Make America Great Again movement.
California Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of about 200 billionaires in the state, raising tens of billions of dollars. By Wednesday morning, the measure had received one million more votes against it than in favour, with 61% of votes counted.
Supporters say the proposed tax, which would be the first wealth tax on billionaires in the United States, could raise $100bn for healthcare and education. The proposal divided Democrats, and Governor Gavin Newsom opposed it.
Los Angeles mayoral and Kansas governor races
In a close Los Angeles mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass trailed Nithya Raman, a democratic socialist on the City Council, by thousands of votes.
In Kansas, Democrat Cindy Holscher held a narrow lead over Republican Ty Masterson in the race for governor. The state has not had a Democratic governor in decades.
A win by Raman would be another victory for left-wing Democrats, following the Senate victories of progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Troy Jackson in Maine.
