PHILADELPHIA _ The U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania between Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and Democrat Katie McGinty stretched deep into the night without a clear winner Tuesday night, leaving both parties hanging on the outcome of a hard-fought contest.
With about 87 percent of the vote tallied, Toomey had captured 48 percent of the vote and McGinty 47 percent.
The race was one of a handful expected to decide control of the Senate _ and seems to represent one of Democrats' few chances left to gain ground in the Senate.
Earlier in the night, battleground races in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina and Wisconsin all went to Republicans, leaving only the most narrow of avenues for Democrats to take control of the chamber.
Democrats had made Toomey one of the top targets in the country, turning Pennsylvania's race into a proxy fight between the national arms of the two parties.
The tight ending Tuesday arrived after a brutal campaign that set records for spending _ more than $155 million had poured in.
As early results trickled in, the mood at Democrats' election night party in Philadelphia slowly shifted from confidence to palpable nervousness as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump outpaced projections in other states.
Gov. Tom Wolf _ after earlier saying he felt good about McGinty's chances _ told attendees it would be a long night.
Democrats had thought that Trump's presence would help them in a state that has tilted blue in previous presidential election years.
But he was running stronger in Pennsylvania than many expected, perhaps even Toomey.
The senator did not take a firm stand on the GOP nominee during the campaign _ not until he voted around 6:45 p.m. Tuesday. He told reporters that he had "serious questions" about the nominee's judgment but that "we've just gotta change the course we're on."
At Toomey's election night party in Breinigsville, near Allentown, about 150 people milled about in the ballroom of a Holiday Inn. Supporters said Toomey is a senator who cares about the people and is accessible to them _ and noted the importance of keeping Republican control of the Senate.
"He gets things done," said Linda Larson, 56, of Carlisle. "I know he cares about our jobs and that businesses are doing well."
Larson said she was pulling for all Republicans running, not just Toomey and Trump. She said she'd be sick if Clinton won.
Linda Fazio of Conshohocken made an hour-long drive to be at Toomey's election night party.
"I want to support him either way," she said.
McGinty, Wolf's former chief of staff, was trying to become Pennsylvania's first woman senator.
A victory would move her from years behind the scenes as a high-level aide in Washington and Harrisburg to a seat in an elite circle of American politics.
Democratic leaders in Washington had chosen McGinty as their candidate in a critical race.
A relative unknown, McGinty had pledged to support Clinton and middle-class Americans she argued were left behind by a changing economy, and Republicans such as Toomey.
Toomey had painted her as a "rubber stamp" for Democratic leaders, and pitched himself as a check on a potential Clinton White House.
Toomey, once a darling of the right, had to walk a political tightrope in recent years _ needing to please both his conservative base while trying to appeal to moderate swing voters.
He made strategic moves to the middle on some issues _ most notably supporting tougher background checks for gun buyers _ while holding firm to the conservative fiscal principles he built his career on.
Democrats had made him a top target as they mapped a route back to power in the Senate, painting him as too conservative for Pennsylvania and looking out for moneyed interests, not constituents.
McGinty worked to overcome her status as a relative unknown to most voters by latching on to a traditional Democratic message and tying herself closely to Clinton, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and other party stars.
