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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans appeared poised to keep control of the upper chamber of Congress early Wednesday, as three GOP lawmakers were projected to win re-election races that had been considered toss-ups.

Four other competitive contests featuring Republican incumbents were deemed still too early to call, but that didn’t stop one of them — freshman GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina — from declaring victory in his re-election bid, Fox News reported.

Tillis’ challenger in the swing state, Democrat Cal Cunningham, led in most of the polls during the race but became embroiled in an extramarital sexting scandal last month.

Republicans control the Senate, 53-47, meaning that Democrats need a net gain of four seats to tip the balance of power in their favor.

Two seats held by Republicans — Cory Gardner of Colorado and Martha McSally of Arizona — were projected to go to Democratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, respectively.

But those GOP losses were partially offset by Republican former college football coach Tommy Tuberville’s projected victory over Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama.

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Alabama Senator Doug Jones and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Tommy Tuberville
Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and Republican nominee Tommy TubervilleU.S. Senate/USAF
Arizona Senator Martha McSally and Democratic nominee astronaut Mark Kelly.
Arizona Sen. Martha McSally and Democratic nominee and former astronaut Mark KellyUnited States Senate/NASA
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Republican U.S. Senator Cory Gardner and Democratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper
Sen. Cory Gardner and Democratic former Colorado Gov. John HickenlooperUnited States Congress
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and Democratic candidate for South Carolina Senator Jamie Harrison
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic candidate Jamie HarrisonUS Senate
Democratic candidate for Maine Senator Sara Gideon and Maine US Senator Susan Collins
Democratic candidate Sara Gideon and Maine Sen. Susan CollinsSara Gideon
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If Republicans maintain their control of the Senate, they would almost certainly leave McConnell (R-Ky.) in place as majority leader, after he was projected to have won a seventh term over Democratic challenger Amy McGrath.

McConnell scored major points with Republicans — and infuriated Democrats — by blocking then-President Barack Obama’s 2016 nomination of appeals court Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court and successfully shepherding President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the high court last month.

Those moves helped increase the court’s conservative majority to 6-3, and potentially cement it in place for decades to come.

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