Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom are neck-and-neck in the race for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat, although it could days or even weeks to call it.
The results in the battleground state will impact Democrats' majority in the Senate after the so-called "blue tsunami" of Election Day decisively yanked control of Congress away from Republicans.
Colom, a prosecutor, is looking to unseat Hyde-Smith, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump who is vying for a second term.
With 96% of votes counted, the two were separated by just over a thousand ballots as of late Nov. 4, according to the Associated Press' latest tally. Colom has 49% of the vote, while Hyde-Smith follows closely behind with 48.9%.
Here's a look at
the live results on Nov. 5.
See live results of Mississippi US Senate election
Why Mississippi US Senate election could take a while to call
Mississippi and Alaska are two battleground states where Senate races remain too close to call two days after elections. Experts say we may not know the final result for days or even weeks.
As long as mail-in ballots were postmarked by Election Day, they can arrive and be counted for an additional five days in Mississippi. The race is so close that the state may also need to sort out which ballots that were provisionally cast should actually be counted under the law.
"That might take us a very long time – days and weeks – to figure out exactly who the winner is in that very, very close election," David Becker, a former DOJ voting rights lawyer who runs the Center for Election Innovation & Research, said on a call with reporters Nov. 4.
Becker added that the candidate who's ultimately behind in Mississippi could go to court and ask for a recount, which could slow things further.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on Instagram @bymelinakhan and TikTok @melina.khan2.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live results: Mississippi Senate election still too close to call
