Senate Race Results: Dem Challengers Win In Colorado, Arizona

Updated at 9 a.m. Eastern Time: ACROSS AMERICA — Democrats appeared to win over two United States Senate seats currently held by Republicans, while losing one, according to unofficial vote totals from Tuesday night's election.

Democratic candidates are projected winners in Colorado and Arizona, but appeared to lose the seat they hold in Alabama, according to The Associated Press.

A number of other races, including the contest in North Carolina between incumbent Republican Thom Tillis and Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, remained too close to call Wednesday morning.

To gain control of the Senate chamber, Democrats need to win a net of at least three seats.

Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins were among the GOP senators facing re-election challenges. McConnell and Graham were the projected winners, but the race between Collins and Democratic challenger Sara Gideon in Maine also remained too close to call.

Democrats picked one up early when projections came in that John Hickenlooper won the Colorado Senate race against incumbent Republican Cory Gardner, according to unofficial results.

But soon after, Democrats apparently lost a seat in Alabama as projections show Republican Tommy Tuberville to be the winner in the race against incumbent Democrat Doug Jones.

Later at night, The Associated Press declared Democrat Mark Kelly as the winner in the Arizona Senate race, unseating the incumbent GOP Sen. Martha McSally.

At least one race, the special election in Georgia, won't be decided until 2021 as neither incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler nor Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock could notch 50 percent of the vote. A runoff election between Loeffler and Warnock will be held in January.

In all, 35 Senate seats are in play in the 2020 election, including 13 races that were labeled by political experts as “toss-ups” in the days heading up to the election.

Democrats hoped to flip the seat in Iowa held by Republican Joni Ernst, but Ernst has been declared the winner by The Associated Press in her race against Theresa Greenfield. Similarly, the race in Montana was declared a victory by incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines over Gov. Steve Bullock.

For full coverage of the 2020 presidential campaign and election, subscribe to the White House Patch newsletter.

Because the vice president is the presiding officer of the Senate and casts tie-breaking votes, Democrats need to pick up three seats to flip the Senate if former Vice President Joe Biden wins and running mate Kamala Harris presides over the chamber. If President Donald Trump wins, Democrats need to pick up four additional seats to gain control.

The presidential race remained too close to call Wednesday morning, with close races in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Polling averages, released just days before the election by RealClearPolitics, showed Democrats were ahead in most close Senate races. The party’s candidates were ahead in Georgia and North Carolina, among others. All of them would turn from red to blue if those trends hold up.

More 2020 Senate Election Coverage

• Mitch McConnell Wins Re-Election In Kentucky
• Martha McSally Vs. Mark Kelly In Arizona
• Lindsey Graham Vs. Jaime Harrison In South Carolina
• Doug Jones Vs. Tommy Tuberville In Alabama
• John James Vs. Gary Peters In Michigan
• Tina Smith Vs. Jason Lewis In Minnesota
• Susan Collins Vs. Sara Gideon In Maine
• Dan Perdue Vs. Jon Ossof In Georgia
• Cory Gardner Vs. John Hickenlooper In Colorado