The night of November 2 could be only the beginning for some of the hard-fought races in this year’s mid-term elections, with some candidates so close that the results may not be known for days, or weeks after the election.
Co-Director of the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll Bill McIinturff says that key races in California, Washington and Nevada are looking so close at present that it is very possible that no clear winner will emerge for some time, especially when absentee ballots and the possibility of recounts are taken into account.
Given that these races are also being tipped as the ones which will decide the fate of the Senate, any delay in counting ballots will also delay knowing which party has majority, and thus control in the Senate.
Republicans would have to gain 10 new seats in addition to holding the ones they already have in the Senate in order to win control, and that means winning in some of the most hotly-contested races seen in many years.
Analysts are saying that it is much more likely for Republicans to gain control in the House than in the Senate, and many are agreeing that President Barack Obama will be the Democrat’s best weapon in the lead up to the election, as he embarks on a talking tour of the nation to boost support and motivate voters.
Obama is heading this week to the key Democrat fights in Nevada, California and Washington to try and electrify the voter base there.
