MICHIGAN — The Arab American News has received conformation from Senator Gary Peters‘ (D-Michigan) campaign that he has won his reelection bid, defeating his Republican challenger, Trump-backed John James.

“I am sincerely honored that the voters of Michigan have once again put their trust and confidence in me to represent them in the United States Senate,” Peters said in a statement. “As we look ahead, I am energized to keep working to move our state forward and continue putting Michigan first. Most of all, I want to extend my gratitude for all of our hardworking election officials and every single person who believed in me, who believed in our mission and volunteered their time and efforts into fighting for a better future.”

James had the full support of President Trump in the lead up to Nov. 3. Trump is hanging on by a wire in the late hours of Wednesday, as vote counting continues throughout the U.S. and projections show Joe Biden may only need six more electoral votes to win the presidency.

Peters inched ahead of James on Wednesday, 50 percent to James’ 49 percent, with 99 percent of the vote counted. Final count: 2,683,325 votes to James’ 2,623,738 votes. In Dearborn, Peters won 30,135 votes (69.16 percent) over James’ 12,459 (28.59 percent); in Wayne County, Peters took 572,523 votes (67.09 percent) versus James’ 259,737 (30.44 percent)

James issued a written statement saying he had “deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat.” He did not provide any evidence of such cheating.

Nationally, Democrats trailed behind Republicans in the Senate race earlier, though the latest New York Times projection shows Democrats and Republicans matched at 48 seats. A more conservative AP projection shows Democrats just behind Republicans, 46 to 48.

If the Times projection is correct, Democrats now need four seats to take control of the Senate from Republicans. If Biden wins the presidency, Democrats would need to gain just three seats, as the vice president can cast a tie-breaking vote.

Peters wasn’t the only prominent congressional Democrat contender to get reelected in Michigan. U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) won their reelection bids with unsurprisingly stellar numbers. Reps. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield) also struck impressive victories.