Democrat Mark Kelly has won the Arizona Senate seat once held by John McCain.
The former astronaut defeated Republican Martha McSally, who was appointed to the seat by Gov. Doug Ducey after McCain’s death in 2018.
The contest is a special election to finish McCain’s term, so Kelly could be sworn in as early as Nov. 30, when the results are officially certified.
Kelly flew combat missions for the Navy during Operation Desert Storm before becoming a test pilot and later an astronaut. He flew four missions to the International Space Station.
He is the husband of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head and wounded in an attempted assassination during a constituent event in Tucson in 2011.
Kelly earlier in the night all but declared victory, saying: “I’m confident that when all the votes are counted, we’re going to be successful in this mission.”
McSally was not expected to speak Tuesday night.
Her spokeswoman, Caroline Anderegg, had said it was too early to know who won.
“This race is not over,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter.
