Democratic Senate candidate Fetterman sues to have mail-in ballots without valid date counted in Pennsylvania

Democrats are hoping to carry on to power, while Republicans yearn to realize control of each the House and the Senate. And while all of us have guesses of what’s going to occur, the reality is that we don’t know what is going to play out. 

With that uncertainty in mind, listed below are three different scenarios that may very well be key to how the battle for control shakes out. 

Georgia runoff determines Senate When you follow politics to any degree, you definitely have. Unlike other states with close Senate races, Georgia requires candidates to receive a majority of the vote to win on Election Day. If no candidate does, then a runoff between the highest two candidates is held in December. 

The conditions are fairly ripe for such a scenario. Neither Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Republican Herschel Walker is at 50% within the Georgia Senate polls. Libertarian Chase Oliver is pulling in 3% to 4%. 

If every other race goes exactly because the polls predict, Democrats could have 49 seats, not including Georgia. Republicans could have 50 seats. Which means that whichever side wins in Georgia would control the Senate. 

The Senate actually gets projected early Then there’s the opposite side of the spectrum. Most individuals are anticipating that we won’t know who wins the Senate until days, if not weeks, after Election Day. That could be the case, however it’s removed from a certainty. 

There are just a few ways we could conceivably get a reasonably fast call. The simplest way for it to occur is that if the Republicans win each Georgia (with a majority to avoid a runoff) and Pennsylvania. That way, we’re probably not reliant on what may very well be longer counts in Arizona and Nevada. 

One other way this might occur is that if there may be a surprising lead to the east. If Republicans have a superb night, they may win the Latest Hampshire Senate race, where Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan is running for reelection against Republican Don Bolduc. If Democrats have a superb night, they may win the Ohio Senate race, an open seat where Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan is facing off with Trump-endorsed J.D. Vance. 

An early call of the House  Just weeks ago, the race for each the House and Senate looked close. While the Senate still does, it’s easy to see how the House could turn right into a relative blowout. 

If that happens, we won’t need to wait for the West Coast. We won’t need to wait for the outcomes from ranked-choice voting races. 

As an alternative, we’ll get a reasonably good idea from even the earliest of poll closings. Consider a race like that for Virginia’s 2nd District, a swing district centered in Virginia Beach. Rep. Elaine Luria would likely win if Democrats are to be competitive within the House. If she’s defeated, Republicans are probably on their technique to House control. 

If it’s an enormous Republican night, we could also see Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan go down in Indiana. Indiana, unlike plenty of other states, requires voters to have an excuse to vote absentee. 

The underside line is that if Republicans find yourself with near 240 seats (as they did in 2010), then the race for House control won’t be drawn out. 

Read more potential Election Day scenarios here.