US midterms 2026: What key races remain undecided?

Five contests remain undecided after a Democratic romp in the midterms. They cover Alaska’s Senate and governor races, Kansas’s governor’s race, Mississippi’s Senate race, and the Los Angeles mayoral contest. Their importance varies because they involve federal, state, and city offices.

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan trails Democratic challenger Mary Peltola by 626 votes in Alaska’s Senate race. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has 49.2 percent in Alaska’s governor’s race, but the article gives no exact opponent margin. Democrat Cindy Holscher leads Republican Ty Masterson by 5,557 votes in Kansas. Democrat Scott Colom leads Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by 43 votes in Mississippi. Nithya Raman leads Karen Bass 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent in Los Angeles, a 2.2-point gap.

These figures are not final results. Vote counting remains incomplete, especially in Alaska and Los Angeles. Alaska’s Senate race may also use ranked-choice voting if neither candidate exceeds 50 percent. The final winners will depend on additional ballots and, where applicable, the state’s election rules.

“Too close to call” describes a race in which the current count does not establish a reliable winner. A candidate may lead, but the margin is so narrow that remaining ballots could change the outcome. News organizations therefore avoid declaring a result until the evidence is strong enough.

The article gives several examples. Scott Colom leads Republican incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by only 43 votes, with about 96 percent counted. In Kansas, Cindy Holscher leads Ty Masterson by 5,557 votes, less than one percentage point, with about 98 percent counted. Los Angeles also remains unsettled because Karen Bass and Nithya Raman are separated by only 2.2 points while roughly one-third of ballots remain uncounted.

A projected winner is different from a certified result. Election officials must continue counting eligible ballots and complete required checks. News organizations consider the remaining vote, the size of the lead, and applicable election rules. Until those steps provide enough certainty, they report the race as undecided rather than calling it.

The remaining contests are extremely tight because small numbers of ballots can change the leader. Mississippi is the clearest example: Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes, even though an estimated 96 percent of votes have been counted. Kansas is also close, with Cindy Holscher ahead of Ty Masterson by 5,557 votes, less than one percentage point, after about 98 percent was counted.

The article does not provide raw ballot totals for every race, so it cannot calculate the total number of uncounted ballots across all five contests. It does provide progress estimates for two races. About 26 percent of ballots remained uncounted in Alaska’s governor’s race because 74 percent had been counted. In Los Angeles, roughly one-third of ballots were still uncounted.

Those unfinished counts explain why a current lead is not necessarily secure. The remaining ballots may be distributed differently from ballots already counted. Alaska’s Senate result also has an additional possibility: if neither candidate receives more than 50 percent, ranked-choice voting applies under Alaska law.

Ranked-choice voting is a system in which voters rank candidates instead of choosing only one. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent, the lowest-performing candidate is eliminated. Votes assigned to that candidate then move to each voter’s next available choice. This process continues until someone has a majority.

The article says Alaska law would apply ranked-choice voting in the Senate race if neither Republican Senator Dan Sullivan nor Democratic challenger Mary Peltola gets more than 50 percent. Peltola currently has a 626-vote lead. That lead alone does not settle the race, because the final outcome depends first on completing the count and then on whether either candidate passes the majority threshold.

If neither reaches 50 percent in the initial count, later preferences could decide the winner. The article does not provide the candidates’ current vote percentages or say which candidate would benefit from transferred preferences. Therefore, ranked-choice voting is a possible next step, not a declared outcome. Alaska’s election rules make the majority threshold central.

When additional ballots are counted, the reported totals change. A candidate’s lead can grow, narrow, disappear, or reverse, depending on how the newly counted ballots are distributed. That is why an early or incomplete advantage is not the same as a final result.

The article shows this risk in several races. Scott Colom leads Cindy Hyde-Smith by only 43 votes with an estimated 96 percent counted. Cindy Holscher leads Ty Masterson by 5,557 votes with about 98 percent counted. In Los Angeles, Nithya Raman leads Karen Bass 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent, but roughly one-third of ballots remain uncounted. Alaska’s governor’s race has counted about 74 percent of ballots.

Election officials generally continue counting eligible ballots, checking the totals, and completing required procedures before certification. The article does not describe the certification process in detail, but it shows why waiting matters. The eventual certified result must reflect all valid ballots and any election rule that applies, including ranked-choice voting in Alaska’s Senate race if no candidate exceeds 50 percent.

The offices in these contests operate at different levels of government. A US senator represents a state in Congress and helps shape federal laws, spending, and oversight. A governor leads a state’s executive government and influences state policy, budgets, and administration. A mayor leads a city government and oversees local services and priorities.

The article names two Senate races: Alaska, where Dan Sullivan faces Mary Peltola, and Mississippi, where Scott Colom challenges Cindy Hyde-Smith. It also names governor’s races in Alaska and Kansas. The Los Angeles contest pits incumbent Mayor Karen Bass against Nithya Raman. These races therefore involve national representation, state leadership, and city leadership.

The article focuses on vote counts rather than detailed job descriptions, so these responsibilities come from the general structure of US government. The immediate consequence is that each unresolved contest leaves an office’s next direction unsettled. The political impact could range from federal representation to state administration or decisions affecting Los Angeles residents.

US midterm elections are elections held partway through a president’s four-year term. They choose members of Congress and often state and local officials. Because the president is not on the ballot, voters can use the elections to change the political balance around the White House.

The article describes a Democratic romp that has rocked the US political landscape, but it also shows that several contests remain unresolved. The races include Senate seats in Alaska and Mississippi, governor’s offices in Alaska and Kansas, and the Los Angeles mayoralty. Winning Senate seats can affect which party has more influence in Congress. Governors and mayors shape policy at state and city levels.

The undecided results matter because even a few close races can determine who controls or influences an office. The article does not state the overall congressional balance, so it cannot identify the final shift in power. It does show that narrow margins, unfinished counting, and Alaska’s possible ranked-choice process could delay the full political picture.