Mississippi and Alaska Senate races still uncalled, with Democrats ahead in both

Nearly a week after Election Day, two U.S. Senate races still have no winner. Officials in Mississippi and Alaska are counting ballots in contests close enough that the Associated Press hasn't called either one, and the outcomes will settle how large a majority Democrats wield in the chamber.

Democrats have already locked up 54 Senate seats to the Republicans' 44, flipping the chamber along with the House as voters turned on President Donald Trump and the GOP. The two holdouts will decide whether that edge grows during the final two years of Trump's presidency.

In Mississippi, Democratic challenger Scott Colom — a district attorney — leads Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith 49.1% to 48.8%, per the AP's tally as of Nov. 6, with 97% of votes counted.

Alaska's math is slower and stranger. Democrat Mary Peltola sits at 48.2% to Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan's 47.9%, according to the AP's count as of Nov. 5, with roughly 76.8% of ballots in. The state's ranked-choice system requires a candidate to clear 50%, and by state law the ranked-choice round of counting doesn't start until Nov. 18.

Both Democratic candidates hold razor-thin advantages, meaning the leads could still move as the remaining ballots land. The reporting is by USA TODAY national trending reporter Melina Khan.