Nevada Senate race: how long has the count been? Have the results been announced and what is on the line?

With control of the US Senate on the line, Nevada’s protracted ballot count finally came to an end and the results were announced.

Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto was running to be re-elected against Republican Adam Laxalt. The state was a key one in the race for the control of the Senate in the US.

Prior to the midterm elections, many had predicted a red wave which could give the Republicans control of the Senate and the House in Washington. However the anticipated swing to the right failed to materialised.

President Donald Trump had said that if the results went well on Tuesday the credit should go to him, but if it was a poor turnout for the Republicans he should not face the blame. He is rumoured to be close to announcing a bid to return to the White House in 2024.

The results in Nevada was finally announced on Saturday (12 November). Senator Cortez Masto was re-elected. Her win reflects the surprising strength of Democrats across the US this election year.

How long did the count last in Nevada?

The marathon count has taken four days so far. The mid-term elections took place on Tuesday (8 November).

Nevada is still counting ballots as they continue to arrive. The state’s count has taken several days partly because of the postal voting system created by the state Legislature in 2020 that requires counties to accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if they arrive up to four days later.

Even after the counts are finished this weekend, voters have until the end of the day Monday to “cure”, or fix clerical problems with, their postal ballots, enabling those to be added into the final tally. If Democrats win Nevada, they will have control even before a December run-off in Georgia between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break a tie. If Republicans win Nevada, control of the Senate will be decided in Georgia.

Mr Gloria said there are 9,600 ballots in the “cure” stage in Clark County, home to three-quarters of the state’s population. Nevada, a closely divided swing state, is one of the most racially diverse in the nation, a working class state whose residents have been especially hard hit by inflation and other economic turmoil

Roughly three-fourths of Nevada voters said the country is headed in the wrong direction, and about five in 10 called the economy the most important issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of 2,100 of the state’s voters.

The results were announced on Saturday.

When are the results expected in Nevada?

Postal votes can still be counted on Saturday if they were mailed in on the day of the election. It means that ballots are still waiting to be added to the count.

A date for the official declaration of results has not been confirmed yet. Voters in Nevada viewed the economy negatively, with VoteCast finding nearly eight in 10 saying economic conditions are either not so good or poor.

Only about two in 10 called the economy excellent or good. And about a third of voters said their families are falling behind financially.

What do the results mean?

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s victory in Nevada gave Democrats the 50 seats they needed to keep the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed victory on Saturday night, tweeting: “Your Senate Democratic Majority!”

With the results in Nevada now decided, Georgia is the only state where both parties are still competing for a Senate seat. Democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock faces GOP challenger Herschel Walker in a December 6 runoff.