Cortez Masto projected to win Nevada Senate race, preserving Democrats' control of chamber

A Masto win would give Democrats 50 Senate seats and control of the chamber because Vice President Kamala Harris holds the tie-breaker vote.

By Joseph Weber

Published: November 12, 2022 9:23pm

Updated: November 12, 2022 9:47pm

Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto on Saturday night was declared the winner of her Senate race, preserving her party's control of the chamber.

The race was called for Masto over GOP challenger Adam Laxalt by CNN and other news organizations.

Saturday was the last day that mail ballots could arrive and be counted under the state's new voting law, and election officials were hustling into the evening to get through a backlog of tens-of-thousands of ballots to determine the race's winner, according to the Associated Press.

The wire service has yet to declare a winner in the race.

With a Masto's win, Democrats will keep control of the 100-member Senate given Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote.

The only remaining Senate race now is the runoff contest in Georgia between incumbent Democrat Sen. Rafael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker. If Warnock wins, Democrats would have a 51-49 Senate majority.