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With five U.S. Senate seats still up for grabs following Tuesday’s midterm elections and control of Congress’s upper chamber hanging in the balance, it seems the fate of the Senate — and, by extension, the country — will be determined by three tight races.
Among the five seats still to be decided, it is a given that a Republican will capture at least one. Thanks to Alaska’s use of ranked choice voting, either Kelly Tshibaka or incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski — both Republicans — will take the seat, though it remains to be seen which one.
Per the Fox News Decision Desk, as of 11:36 a.m. ET Wednesday, with 75 percent of the vote in, Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka held a slight 44-42 lead over the embattled Murkowski, who has faced backlash from her fellow Republicans for voting to impeach President Donald J. Trump.
Meanwhile, with 66 percent reporting in Arizona, Republican Blake Masters’ race was still too close to call, though he would need to overcome a five-point deficit against Democrat incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly to secure his seat in the Senate.
With three other neck-and-neck races still undecided, the possibility of a Republican-controlled House and Senate could not be ruled out.
In Wisconsin, as of reporting time, incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson was locked in a tight race against Democrat challenger Mandela Barnes, holding a slim 50-49 lead. Although 98 percent of the vote had been counted, the question remained whether Johnson had received enough of the vote to secure victory.
Similarly, the Nevada Senate race remained too close to call as Republican Adam Laxalt led Democrat opponent Catherine Cortez Masto 49-47 with 77 percent percent of the vote counted.
However, in perhaps the most heated race of all, former Georgia bulldog Herschel Walker trailed Democrat incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock by less than 1 percent (48.5-49.4) with 98 percent reporting.
Heading into Election Day, Walker — a close friend of President Trump’s — pulled ahead in the polls. Throughout his campaign, he was repeatedly attacked by Democrats, who alleged he had paid a former girlfriend to have an abortion and made racially-charged comments about his candidacy.
However, mud-slinging aside, with the Georgia race as close as it is, a run-off might be in the cards.
As the numbers continue to roll in, Republicans will undoubtedly be watching these three races closely to see if they can achieve a critical upset in Washington.
