With King ahead, the race for Maine's U.S. Senate seat has not yet been called

The second U.S. Senate debate, hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, took place on October 30, 2024 at the Augusta Civic Center. Left to right: NEWS CENTER Maine anchor Rob Caldwell, independent U.S. Senator Angus King, Republican Demi Kouzounas, Democrat David Costello and independent Jason Cherry. (Photo via Maine State Chamber of Commerce)

It's not yet clear whether U.S. Sen. Angus King will return to Capitol Hill as the four-way U.S. Senate race remained too close as of 3 a.m. Wednesday.

At that point, the former Maine governor had more than 52% of the vote, which would be enough to win the ranked-choice race, but with 69% of the votes counted, the race had not yet been called, according to the Associated Press.

Republican challenger Demi Kouzounas had 33.8% as of 3 a.m., while Democrat David Costello and independent Jason Cherry had 10.6% and 2.5%, respectively

Although that seat was still pending, Republicans already gained control of the Senate by flipping seats in West Virginia and Ohio.

Although King is an independent, he largely votes in line with the Democratic Party. However, the seat was not one of those held by the Republican leadership had aimed flip the Senate.

If the ranked-choice race occurs, the timing of which will be announced by the Maine Secretary of State's Office in the coming days, Cherry will likely drop out and his votes will be allocated to the second-place voter. The process continues until a candidate reaches 50% of the vote.

This story will be updated.