Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly was projected to win a full term representing Arizona in the US Senate, beating back a challenge from Republican Blake Masters.
Kelly’s win, called by CNN and NBC, represented a giant step forward for Democrats in their quest to keep control of the Senate. The chamber currently has 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats. One race, in Nevada, remains uncalled, while a second race, in Georgia, will be settled in a Dec. 6 runoff between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker.
“From Day One, this campaign for me hasn’t been — you know, it hasn’t been about name-calling or dividing people. It’s been about telling the truth,” Kelly told supporters on Election Night.
“It’s been about bringing together Republicans, Democrats and independents in every corner of our state, focused on solving problems,” he added.
Masters had no immediate comment.
The lengthy wait for a call was due to a glut of late mail-in votes around the state, particularly in Maricopa County, where 290,000 early ballots were dropped off on Election Day.
Election officials in the state’s most populous county had reported problems with vote tabulating machines on Tuesday, leading to long lines and a delay in counting the votes.
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