Today, more than one week after polls closed, we may, repeat, may, finally understand who won the race for District 37 state senator.

Regardless of the outcome, a couple of things about this race are worth noting.

In our world of nearly instant results, waiting a week for election results somehow seems archaic. We realize elections workers are doing their best, but one has to wonder if better technology exists to avoid such long delays.

After several challengers were ousted during the primaries, the race wound up pitting two familiar foes from the last statewide election — incumbent Melanie Sojourner and the person she knocked off four years ago, former senator Bob M. Dearing.

Sojourner runs as a Republican but appears to have lost much Republican support after her involvement in fellow senator Chris McDaniel’s failed attempt to oust U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.

Dearing appears to be the old-school Southern Democrat — that is to say more conservative than anyone with D behind his name north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Saying the two are polar opposites is an understatement.

But what’s interesting is that apparently the district is nearly evenly split.

Dearing dominated Adams County where Democrats often hold the upper hand and where many of the local Republicans were simply fed up with Sojourner’s lack of attendance during the last session of the Legislature — she was campaigning for McDaniel and missed a number of days.

Seasoned elections watchers suggest the race will likely come down to less than 100 votes separating the two.

Whoever wins will clearly lack a strong mandate from at least half of the constituency they will represent.

Much work will be required to mend the fences and bring the district together. We hope the results are completed quickly so that work can begin soon.