Mark Kelly brings Dems to brink of Senate control with win in Arizona: report

Democrats got a huge boost in their efforts to maintain control of the U.S. Senate on Friday when Democrat Mark Kelly was the projected winner of Arizona's U.S. Senate race over challenger Blake Masters.

CNN and MSNBC both projected that Kelly would hold control of the seat he won in a 2020 special election.

"Masters was the Republican nominee and spent most of his career working for billionaire Peter Thiel, who bankrolled his campaign," ABC 15 reported. "Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot-turned-astronaut embarked on his political journey in 2020 when he finished out late Senator John McCain's term. Kelly is the husband of former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords."

Donald Trump was a major backer of Masters.

With the projection of Kelly winning, 49 U.S. Senate seats have been called for Democrats — with another 49 seats called for Republicans.

If Democrats also win Nevada, Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote would keep them in control of the U.S. Senate.

There is also the Dec. 6 Senate runoff in Georgia, where Republican former football player Herschel Walker is challenging Sen. Raphael Warnock.

If Democrats were to lose Nevada, they would still have a chance of winning the Senate in the Georgia runoff after Kelly's victory.