Maine begins its count on Monday, 9 November, as 19 US House races remain uncalled almost a week after Election Day, with Democrats already assured of a House majority but the final seat tally still to be settled. Democrats swept to power in both houses of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, winning 254 seats in the House and at least 54 in the Senate, with further contests awaiting final results.
The House races still uncalled include contests in Maine, where the count begins on Monday, and in other states where mail and affidavit ballots are still being processed. The slow counts in Mississippi and Alaska, where two Senate races remain undecided, have drawn the most attention, but the House tally also remains incomplete, with the final margin of the Democratic majority still to be determined.
Democrats won 254 seats in the House, according to reports, with the remaining 19 races to be called. The new Congress convenes on 3 January 2027, when the full House will elect its Speaker. House Democrats are scheduled to hold leadership elections on 18 and 19 November, and the leadership fight that began in the Senate has spread to the House, with progressive activists mobilising against Hakeem Jeffries becoming Speaker.
A petition nearing 900,000 names
An online petition opposing Jeffries attracted nearly 900,000 signatures by Friday, 6 November, according to reports on Sunday. House Democratic offices have been flooded with calls and emails urging them not to elect Jeffries as Speaker, with some callers urging Democrats to make Jamie Raskin Speaker instead. One senior Democrat received more than 500 calls in two days, according to Axios, and another office reported between 300 and 400.
Across the Capitol, Chuck Schumer faced a more direct challenge in the Senate. Several newly elected Democratic senators have declared that they want someone else to lead them, even as the 75-year-old insists he faces no real challenge and told reporters on Wednesday he will keep his post, declaring he is running uncontested. The holdouts include senators-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine, Juliana Stratton of Illinois, Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, James Talarico of Texas and Annie Andrews of South Carolina.
Despite the pressure, both Schumer and Jeffries are still believed to have enough support within their respective caucuses to secure the leadership posts. No Democrat has formally entered the race against Schumer as of Friday afternoon, and Raskin is expected to be in position to take over as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which could make a Speaker bid less likely.
The lame duck begins
The outgoing Congress returns on Monday for a lame-duck session with a government funding deadline of 11 December. Republicans still hold the gavels in both chambers until the new Congress is sworn in on 3 January, and the first deadline is the stopgap funding bill’s expiry. The Maine count, which begins today, is one of the last pieces of the midterm jigsaw, alongside the Mississippi and Alaska Senate counts and the 19 uncalled House races.
Related coverage: 17 House Races Still Uncalled as Maine Count Begins Monday and Democrats Reach 254 House Seats as Final Counts Drag On
