Mississippi and Alaska Races Hang in Balance as States Vote Measures

Razor-Thin Margins Leave Mississippi, Alaska, and Kansas Contests Uncalled

While Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress—with 59 House races still uncalled as of 4 p.m. EST Wednesday—several Senate and gubernatorial elections remained too close for the Associated Press to call, according to KCBS Radio and ABC7 News:

• Mississippi U.S. Senate: After narrowing to a few dozen votes Wednesday morning, Democratic challenger and four-county district attorney Scott Colom held 49% of the vote (464,926 votes) to incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's 48.9% (463,788 votes—a 1,138-vote lead) and independent Ty Pinkins's 2.1% (19,934 votes) with 96% of expected votes reporting Wednesday night. Mississippi has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1982 (and voted 61% for Donald Trump in 2024 and 54% for Hyde-Smith in 2020 after her 2018 appointment). Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson confirmed the state has no automatic or candidate-requested recount law—allowing only a post-certification "ballot box exam" and legal challenge—while roughly 3,600 outstanding mail ballots postmarked by Election Day have five business days until November 10, 2026 to arrive, alongside pending provisional ("affidavit") ballots (which totaled 5,700 in 2022 and which Colom's campaign estimated could reach 15,000) ahead of the 10-day county certification deadline on November 13.
• Alaska Senate and Governor: With an estimated 74% of ballots counted, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan by 626 votes, while Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins held a 20-percentage-point lead (at 49.2% of the vote) over Republican Bernadette Wilson for governor; under Alaska law, any contest where no candidate exceeds 50% advances to ranked-choice tabulation.
• Kansas Governor: Following Democrat Adam Hamilton's victory as the first Kansas Democratic U.S. Senate winner in nearly a century, Democratic State Sen. Cindy Holscher led Republican State Senate President Ty Masterson by less than 1 percentage point—5,557 votes—with an estimated 98% of votes counted.

Colorado Re-Elects Sen. Hickenlooper 60% to 36%; Nevada Elects Democrats and Passes Questions 6 and 7

In Colorado, Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper won re-election with 60% of the vote (1,310,937 votes) over Republican State Sen. Mark Baisley of Douglas County at 36% (773,936 votes, a rounded 25-percentage-point margin), with Baisley phoning Hickenlooper to concede while Democrats also won Congressional Districts 1, 4, and 8 (where Republican Rep. Gabe Evans sought a recount despite trailing by 14%), The Press reported.

In Nevada, voters elected three Democrats to the U.S. House and leaned toward a fourth while expanding Democratic control of the 42-seat State Assembly (where Democrats won 28 seats to Republicans' five, with nine uncalled) and the 21-member State Senate (winning seven of 11 seats up for election to hold a 13-to-8 majority), according to The Press:

• 1st Congressional District: Incumbent Democrat Dina Titus won her eighth term with 59.01% (127,098 votes) over Republican State Sen. Carrie Buck at 38.01% (81,873 votes).
• 2nd Congressional District: In a Northern Nevada district created in 1980 that has never elected a Democrat, Democrat Theresa Benitez-Thompson declared victory while leading with 50.75% (144,014 votes) over Republican David Flippo at 44.06% (125,031 votes) for the seat vacated by retiring Republican Rep. Mark Amodei.
• 3rd Congressional District: Incumbent Democrat Susie Lee won with 59.14% (146,863 votes) over Republican Marty O'Donnell at 38.6% (95,845 votes).
• 4th Congressional District: Incumbent Democrat Steven Horsford won with 60.5% (134,980 votes) over Republican Cody Whipple at 37.66% (84,017 votes).
• Nevada Constitutional Amendments: Nevadans passed Question 6—backed by Reproductive Freedom for All Nevada director Denise Lopez to enshrine abortion rights up to 24 weeks into the state constitution following its 64.4% first-round approval in 2024 after the 2022 Roe v. Wade ruling—with 63.33% (601,533 votes), and approved Question 7 (supported by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to require photo ID in person or the last four digits of a driver's license or Social Security number by mail) with 62.29% (595,823 votes).

Iowa Tax Supermajority, 150 State Ballot Measures, and Elon Musk's $446 Million PAC Spend

Across state ballot measures and campaign finance disclosures:

• Iowa Amendment 1: Iowa voters approved Amendment 1 with 56.2% "yes" votes, amending the state constitution to require a two-thirds legislative supermajority to raise individual income taxes—currently set at a 3.8% flat rate—even as newly elected Democratic Governor Rob Sand inherits more than a $1 billion state budget deficit, The Press reported.
• National Ballot Measure Takeaways: Across nearly 150 ballot measures in more than three dozen states, NBC Bay Area reported that voters in Nevada and Virginia passed constitutional abortion-rights amendments by at least 24 percentage points and Missouri voters rejected a GOP-backed measure to repeal their 2024 constitutional protection, while Idaho voters rejected a statutory fetal-viability abortion measure. In tax and redistricting votes, Washington state voters rejected a repeal of their 9.9% tax on annual income over $1 million, Missouri voters blocked a GOP-drawn congressional map affecting one of two Democratic seats, and Maryland voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing Democrats to redraw their map (where Republicans hold one seat). Voters in West Virginia, South Dakota, Kansas, Alaska, and Arkansas passed citizen-only voting amendments; Ohio, North Carolina, and Nevada enshrined in-person photo ID requirements; Virginia restored voting rights for released felons; Massachusetts rejected a top-two all-party primary; and Arizona approved a measure requiring school sports teams to be designated based on sex assigned at birth.
• Elon Musk's $446 Million Midterm Spend: Elon Musk's America PAC spent $446 million on the 2026 midterm elections—including $47 million aimed at defeating Texas Democrat James Talarico, who campaigned on the slogan "Texas is not for sale" and defeated Musk-backed Republican Ken Paxton with 55% of the vote—according to The Verge.