Democrat Maggie Hassan claims victory in New Hampshire Senate race, recount likely

(Image credit: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

last updated 9 November 2016

Update 2:09 p.m. ET: With 100 percent of precincts reporting, the New Hampshire Sec. of State's office has certified a lead by Hassan of 1,023 votes. A recount is still possible. Our original post appears below.

In the final undeclared Senate race of the 2016 election, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan is claiming victory over incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Hassan has a slender margin of just 640 votes over Ayotte at time of writing, out of more than 700,000 votes cast in the race. With the margin so tight, it's likely this election will undergo a recount process; if Hassan indeed wins the race, Democrats will have netted just two seats in the Senate this year, for an overall Republican majority of 52 seats against 48 for the Democrats.