Republicans are on the cusp of winning the Senate majority after netting five seats overall and defeating two Democratic incumbents in Colorado and Arkansas.
The GOP needs to gain six seats to take the majority, and the party has pickup opportunities on the board in Iowa, Alaska and Virginia, where Sen. Mark Warner (D) is narrowly ahead of Republican Ed Gillespie in a suprisingly tight race.
{mosads}Republicans have already picked up open seats in West Virginia, South Dakota and Montana, and they held on to a seat in Georgia, with David Perdue defeating surging Democrat Michelle Nunn without having to go to a January runoff.
Vulnerable Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts (R) also held on, beating back a vigorous challenge from Independent Greg Orman.
Several late-closing states will prove crucial. Alaska Sen. Mark Begich (D) is seeking to hold off Republican Dan Sullivan, and it’s possible a close result in the sparsely populated state will lead to a recount or a very late call well into Wednesday.
Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor (D) was the first incumbent to fall on Tuesday. Freshman Rep. Tom Cotton (R) handily defeated the centrist lawmaker in a state that has slipped rapidly away from Democrats in recent years.
Colorado Rep. Cory Gardner (R) also knocked off Sen. Mark Udall (D), defying Democratic cries that their vaunted ground game would save the vulnerable incumbent.
Republicans also picked up a Democrat-held open seat in West Virginia with Rep. Shelley Moore Capito’s (R) easy victory.
South Dakota flipped to the GOP column after former Gov. Mike Rounds (R) won the open seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson (D). The three-way race had become a late headache for the GOP with the addition of former GOP Sen. Larry Pressler (I), but with Republican attention and help the race turned again in its favor.
Rep. Steve Daines (R) then won the open Democratic-held seat in Montana.
With the early victories, Republicans are on the brink of their goal of Senate control.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was declared the victor in his closely watched race as soon as polls closed in the Bluegrass State, defeating Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes to earn a sixth term. Democrats had early hopes for the Kentucky secretary of State’s candidacy, but her campaign couldn’t take advantage of the senator’s unpopularity in the state.
McConnell might have to wait a bit longer to see whether he can add Senate majority leader to his title, however.
A victor in the fight for the Senate majority may not be named until early Wednesday morning — or perhaps not even until December though. In Louisiana, there will be a runoff in December between Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) and Rep. Bill Cassidy (R). Cassidy is seen to have an edge in the GOP-leaning state.
There was good news for Democrats early on Tuesday too. Polls closed in North Carolina at 7:30 p.m., where Sen. Kay Hagan (D) was clinging to a narrow lead over Republican state Speaker Thom Tillis.
In New Hampshire, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) was able to hold the seat from challenger former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R), though the Republicans was refusing to concede late Tuesday as the race had tightened after the networks initially called the race for the incumbent.
— Updated at 11:07 p.m.