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US midterms: When will we know who controls Congress?
The timing of the US midterm results will depend on how close the races are. If polls are broadly accurate, control of the House could be known on election night and the Senate in the early hours of Wednesday, but tight contests could delay a decision for days or weeks.
Democrats need 218 of 435 House seats, and late October forecasts gave them an 80% to 95% chance of taking control. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats and need 50 to retain control, with Vice-President J. D. Vance able to break a tie; Democrats need 51. Polling showed narrow Democratic leads in seven Republican-held states, including margins below half a point in Iowa, while differing vote-counting procedures mean early results may not reflect the final picture.
In short
- House control could be decided on election night.
- A tight Senate race may take days or weeks to call.
- Early vote counts can give a misleading picture.
Americas Elections Government Politics World