2 days after U.S. midterms, here are the key races yet to be decided — and why – National

Two days after polls closed in the U.S. midterm elections, a number of close races are still undecided and control of Congress remains up in the air.

Thousands of ballots have yet to be counted in some of the most-watched contests in the country, in which Democratic and Republican candidates are neck-and-neck. In addition to Congress, some high-profile governor’s races are also too close to call, including in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon.

Here’s a look at the races that have yet to be decided as of Thursday evening, and how long it could take to get a result.

The race that could decide control of the Senate will head to a runoff election on Dec. 6.

Neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican challenger Herschel Walker earned more than 50 per cent of the vote, after Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver earned two per cent — automatically triggering a recount under state law.

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U.S. midterms: Georgia heads to runoff election for crucial Senate seat after no clear winner

It’s a case of deja vu for Warnock who, along with fellow Georgian Sen. Jon Ossoff, also earned his seat in a runoff in 2021 to become the first Democratic senator for the state in 20 years. Unlike Ossoff, Warnock was serving the remainder of a six-year term that was vacated by a retiring Republican, and is now seeking his first full term.

Warnock narrowly overtook Walker on Tuesday by about 35,000 votes, creating a tight race that could become even tighter as the two campaign toward the runoff. Both parties are expected to pour millions of dollars into their respective campaigns.

Last year’s runoffs in Georgia created an evenly-split Senate where Vice-President Kamala Harris became the tie-breaking vote that gave control of the chamber to the Democrats. Given the likely outcome of the other Senate races yet to be called, a win for Warnock in December will mean another 50-50 split, while Walker would give Republicans 51 seats.

The southwestern state is the one being scrutinized the most this week, where high-profile Republican candidates for governor and Senate are fighting for their survival amid an extremely slow ballot counting…