Business groups are urging Americans to be patient and let all the votes be counted as the nation awaits the outcome of the presidential election and possible control of the U.S. Senate.

Former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to be gaining ground on President Donald Trump in key battleground states by midday Wednesday although the race was too close to call. Trump tried to claim victory and call for the votes to stop being counted, but few election observers said that is likely to happen.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce had previously joined with its longtime adversary the AFL-CIO to urge that election officials be given the "time and space" to conduct vote counts. Chamber CEO Tom Donohue reiterated that call Wednesday, noting the uncertain outcomes of the presidential race.

"In the meantime, we need to be patient and have faith in our systems and trust the local officials who oversee the elections in their communities," Donohue said. "Democracy will do its work—and we will be ready to do ours."

The National Retail Federation CEO Matt Shay also urged patience in a statement.

"For over 200 years, our democratic process has proven to be a fair and just system and every vote must be counted. Regardless of the outcome, we look forward to working with elected leaders across the country and in our nation's capital for an even safer and stronger America," he said.

Election results appeared mixed. Republican candidates did better the many pollsters originally projected, possibly holding on to their U.S. Senate majority and gaining seats in the House of Representatives, although Democrats will remain in control of that chamber.

In a series of tweets, National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons said the results so far indicated America "is deep purple—not red, not blue." He added that manufacturers "are uniquely capable of bridging those divisions and improving our communities and livelihoods."

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