The Democrats are inching closer to get crucial control over the Senate, as incumbent Mark Kelly defeated Republican Blake Masters on Friday to win a Senate seat in Arizona. This leaves the Senate with 49 Democratic and 49 Republican seats.
The control of the Senate now depends on two remaining states—Nevada and Georgia—which are yet to be decided. Georgia, where both candidates failed to get 50 per cent votes, is headed to a runoff on December 6. The vote count in Nevada is also neck and neck, according to reports. In Nevada, incumbent Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto had closed to within about 800 votes of the Republican state attorney general, Adam Laxalt, Reuters reported on Saturday.
In Nevada, mail-in ballots are pouring in through Saturday. As per the state's law, ballots can be accepted through Saturday as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
If Democrats win either of the two remaining races they can take control of the US Senate, because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote on their behalf.
Kelly, a former Nasa astronaut, is married to former US congresswoman Gabby Giffords who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. "I'm humbled by the trust our state has placed in me to continue this work," Kelly said on Twitter.
Kelly’s 2022 campaign focused on his support for abortion rights, and ensuring stable water supply in the midst of a drought, which has curtailed Arizona’s cut of water from the Colorado River.
