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Unresolved Midterm Senate Contests in Mississippi and Alaska
Days after the close of the 2026 midterm elections, two crucial U.S. Senate contests in Mississippi and Alaska continue to hang in the balance. Live updates recorded at 11:10 a.m. ET on November 5, 2026, highlighted that while the broader balance of power in the Senate has largely taken shape, the final outcomes in these two states remain uncalled, leaving both parties waiting for outstanding ballots to be fully processed and tabulated.
In Mississippi, Democratic candidate and prosecutor Scott Colom has held a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, leading by 1,138 votes as of the Thursday morning updates. This tight margin drew intense national attention to a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in more than forty years. Similarly, the race in Alaska features a tight contest where former Representative Mary Peltola holds a slim advantage over Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
Counting Delays, Timelines, and State-Specific Procedures
The path to a final result in both states involves distinct administrative timelines and legal frameworks. Further reporting updates at 10:33 a.m. ET and 10:01 a.m. ET noted ongoing ballot assessments across the nation. In Mississippi, election officials are awaiting the arrival of remaining absentee mail ballots, with the state’s secretary of state indicating on Wednesday that roughly 3,600 mail-in ballots were still to be received in the coming days, plus an unknown number of affidavit ballots, also known as provisional ballots.
Mississippi state law and rulings require mail-in ballots arriving by the Tuesday after election day to be accepted, and provisional ballots must be tallied accordingly. Furthermore, the state does not feature an automatic recount mechanism for statewide general elections, meaning that candidates must rely on specific legal avenues to challenge the inclusion or exclusion of ballot groups prior to final certification.
Meanwhile, the situation in Alaska carries its own unique procedural path. With nearly a quarter of expected votes still uncounted, election administrators are processing a large volume of mail-in ballots. If no candidate reaches the required 50 percent threshold during the initial count, the election will proceed to a ranked-choice tabulation scheduled for November 18, 2026. Legal challenges have also surfaced surrounding the race, including a federal lawsuit dismissed prior to certification regarding ballot structures and candidate positioning.
Broader Implications for Congressional Majorities
The unresolved status of these specific contests underscores a broader landscape of competitive legislative races across the country following the initial voting date of 11-03/2026. While majorities in both chambers of Congress remain a central focus for national political strategists, the prolonged tabulation in Mississippi and Alaska highlights the complex interplay between late-arriving mail votes, provisional ballot verification, and state-specific election statutes.
As county election workers continue their work ahead of state certification deadlines, both campaigns maintain volunteer and legal teams on the ground to monitor the process. Until every eligible absentee, affidavit, and mail-in ballot is properly evaluated, the final composition of the Senate remains subject to the outcome of these final two uncalled states.