Senate races in Arizona, Nevada still not called; Democrats hold slim leads
Three days after Election Day on Nov. 5, the U.S. Senate races in the western states of Arizona and Nevada still hang in the balance. Democratic candidates in both races have managed to maintain a slight lead, offering a glimmer of hope for Democratic leader Chuck Schumer that his incoming minority might not dwindle further. With Republicans having flipped four Senate seats so far, the stakes are high for both parties.
In Nevada, incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., currently leads her Republican challenger Ret. Army Capt. Sam Brown by over 17,500 votes, or 1.2 percentage points. The deadline for mail-in ballots to be counted in Nevada is Saturday, and with tens of thousands of ballots potentially outstanding, The Associated Press has deemed the race too close to call. Rosen has garnered 665,840 votes, or 47.76%, while Brown has secured 648,292 votes, or 46.50%, with nearly 96% of Nevada precincts having reported their results.
The Brown campaign remains optimistic, stating on Thursday that there are still tens of thousands of uncounted ballots in the race, and the candidates are separated by less than one percent. Rosen, on the other hand, expressed confidence in the results so far but acknowledged that there are still thousands of votes to be counted, emphasizing the importance of ensuring every legally cast, valid vote is counted.
In Arizona, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Marine, holds a lead of more than 43,000 votes over Republican Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor, in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. With only 76.05% of precincts reporting, the results are coming in slowly due to the state’s ballot complexity and the method of vote counting. The winner of this contest will fill the seat left vacant by Sinema, who decided against running for re-election after leaving the Democratic party.
Maricopa County, the state’s largest county, is experiencing the most significant delays in reporting results due to the two-page ballot layout and added steps for ballot verification imposed by a GOP-backed state law. The law requires poll workers to wait until polls close before beginning the counting process, adding extra time for the verification of green envelope ballots dropped off on Election Day. Additionally, voters are given five days to correct any errors on their ballots, further prolonging the counting process.
Both Arizona and Nevada are crucial battlegrounds for the Senate, and the outcomes of these races will have significant implications for the balance of power in Congress. As officials continue to tally the remaining ballots, the results remain too close to call, leaving the nation on edge as the fate of these Senate seats hangs in the balance.
