US Midterms: Ossoff Holds Georgia. What Do Democrats Still Need to Win the Senate?

Jon Ossoff has kept Georgia in Democratic hands. To take the Senate, his party needs to start winning seats Republicans hold.

The Associated Press called Georgia for Ossoff, who defeated Republican congressman Mike Collins. Donald Trump had endorsed Collins and carried Georgia by about two percentage points in 2024. The result gives Democrats an early win in a state Republicans hoped to take from them.

Why does holding Georgia matter?

Every Democratic seat Republicans capture raises the price of taking the Senate. Had Collins won, Democrats would have needed five Republican-held seats to reach a majority, assuming they held the rest of their seats. Ossoff’s victory keeps that hurdle at four, provided the party avoids losses elsewhere.

Georgia also shows how the same state can make different choices in different elections. It backed Trump for president in 2024 and returned a Democratic senator two years later. The statewide totals leave open whether individual Trump voters switched sides, a different mix of voters turned out, or both.

How do Democrats get to 51?

Republicans entered the election with 53 Senate seats. Democrats held 45, with two independents caucusing alongside them. Four net gains would take the Democratic side from 47 to 51. Three net gains would produce a 50–50 Senate, where Republican Vice President JD Vance can break ties.

Michigan is another test of the defence. Its Senate seat is held by Democrats, so an Abdul El-Sayed victory over Mike Rogers would preserve the party’s starting position. A Republican victory would force Democrats to find an extra pickup elsewhere.

Where could the gains come from?

One route runs through North Carolina, where former Democratic governor Roy Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley, and Maine, where Troy Jackson is challenging Republican Senator Susan Collins. Ohio offers another opportunity. Democrat Sherrod Brown is trying to return to the Senate by defeating Jon Husted, who was appointed to the seat JD Vance vacated.

Texas, Iowa and Kansas offer other routes. If Democrats win North Carolina and Maine and hold all their own seats, any two additional Republican-held seats would take them to 51. A win in Kansas can do the same job in the Senate tally as a win in Texas.

In the early BBC update citing CBS, Florida, Maine, Ohio and South Carolina were still too close to call. That was a snapshot of the count. Poll closing times, the pace of ballot reporting and the closeness of each contest all affect which calls come first.

Why is Florida drawing attention?

Florida gives readers three contests to follow separately. Democrat David Jolly faces Republican Byron Donalds for governor. Democrat Angie Nixon is challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody. In Miami’s 27th Congressional District, Republican María Elvira Salazar faces Democrat Eliott Rodriguez for a House seat.

In the early BBC account, Salazar was narrowly ahead after winning by more than 15 points in 2024. She had also aired an advertisement urging Trump to rethink his approach to immigration enforcement. Florida’s congressional map has been redrawn, so a comparison with an earlier margin has to account for who is now in the district. A close Miami race shows where Republicans are under pressure. Explaining why takes more than one district’s partial returns.

The offices carry different stakes. The governor’s race decides who runs Florida. A Senate flip changes the count in Washington by one. A House flip goes into a separate tally for control of that chamber.

What does “too close to call” mean?

Newsrooms project a winner when the returns and the evidence about outstanding ballots give them enough confidence to do so. A lead can remain uncalled if enough votes are outstanding to change the result. Official certification comes later.