Midterm election results 2026: Democrats win control of the House and Senate
DEMOCRATS have won control of both chambers of Congress, ending Republican control of the House and Senate. The final size of their majorities is still being determined as votes are counted.
Voters cited frustration over high prices and the direction of the country. President Trump said the war in Iran was one factor in his party’s losses.
Several of the night’s biggest Senate results came in states Republicans have long held. Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, and Annie Andrews unseated Republican Sen.
Darline Graham in South Carolina. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. Democrats also flipped seats in North Carolina, where Roy Cooper won, and in Ohio, where former Sen. Sherrod Brown is returning to the Senate two years after losing his seat. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection in Georgia, while Republican Sen. Ashley Moody held her seat in Florida.
In the governors’ races, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms flipped Georgia and will become the state’s first Black and first female governor. Democrats also won in Texas, Ohio and California. Republicans won the governor’s races in Florida, where Rep. Byron Donalds will become the state’s first Black governor, and in Oklahoma.
Votes are still being counted in several competitive races, and the final makeup of the House and Senate may not be known for days. Below, you can follow how the night unfolded, from the first polls opening Tuesday morning through the races that decided control of Congress, in our live updates.
1:06 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump said the war in Iran was a factor in Republicans’ losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as Democrats prepare to take control of both the House and Senate.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he expects Democrats to send him legislation he disagrees with, and that he plans to veto it.
“They’ll send over things that are insane, and I’ll veto them,” he said. “And after a couple of months of vetoes, they’ll call and they’ll say, ‘How do we get this stuff done?’ And we’ll work together.”
Trump also said that while the war affected Republican candidates, he believes voters support his approach. “I think a part of it was Iran, but at the same time people understood the importance of what I’ve done with Iran,” he said.
11:55 p.m. ET
Democrats are projected to win control of the U.S. Senate with a net gain of four seats, giving them at least a 51-49 majority once all votes are counted. Multiple networks also project the party will take the House.
The results end Republican control of both chambers of Congress. The GOP entered Election Day with a 53-47 Senate majority alongside control of the White House and the House.
Some of the night’s biggest results came in traditionally Republican states. In Texas, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is projected to defeat Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and flip the Senate seat.
In South Carolina, pediatrician Annie Andrews is projected to defeat Republican Sen. Darline Graham, becoming the state’s first Democratic senator in more than 20 years. And in Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton is projected to flip a Senate seat, which would make him the first Democrat the state has sent to the Senate in nearly a century.
11:28 p.m. ET
Some major projections (from CNN) happening on this historic night:
Democrat James Talarico will win Texas Senate race
Democrat Gina Hinojosa will win Texas governor’s race
Republican Mike Mazzei will be Oklahoma’s next governor
Democrat Sherrod Brown will win Ohio Senate race, 2 years after losing seat
Democrat Amy Acton will win the Ohio governor’s race
Democrat Xavier Becerra will win California’s governor race
Democrat Adam Hamilton will defeat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas
10:40 p.m. ET
Democrats will win control of the House when the new Congress begins early next year, CBS News projects. The majority would allow Democrats to block legislation backed by President Trump and to open investigations into his administration and business dealings during the remainder of his term.
Voters’ concerns about the cost of living were a factor in the outcome, which ends four years of a narrow Republican majority in the chamber.
10:18 p.m. ET
In a major upset, Democrats flipped South Carolina’s Senate seat, according to an NBC News projection. Pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed earlier this year to fill the seat of her late brother, longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Andrews’ win makes her South Carolina’s first Democratic senator in more than two decades. It’s a stunning result in a state President Donald Trump won by more than 17 points just two years ago.
10:01 p.m. ET
Democrat Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s former governor, won the state’s U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, picking up a Republican-held seat in a state Donald Trump has carried in each of his three presidential runs.
Cooper will replace Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is retiring after two terms. Tillis decided not to run again after Trump threatened to support a primary challenger against him.
9:21 p.m. ET
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta Mayor, made a shocking flip in Georgia, beating Republican Rick Jackson in the state's gubernatorial race. She becomes the first Black and first female governor in Georgia, and the first Democrat to hold the office in 24 years.
9:17 p.m. ET
Some of the key midterm races are starting to see results.
In Georgia, the Associated Press has called the Georgia Senate race for incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, who won reelection against U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.
The race was among the most heated in the country.
The Florida Senate race was won by Republican incumbent Ashley Moody, beating Democrat Angie Nixon in a tight race, while U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds edged out Democrat David Jolly to become Florida's first Black governor.
In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas beat Republican John Sununu in the Senate race, and Democrat Roy Cooper flipped the North Carolina Senate seat by beating Republican Michael Whatley.
In Florida, two districts that were redrawn during mid-decade redistricting that were expected to benefit Republicans were won by Democrats, Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Kathy Castor.
7:50 p.m. ET
The first races of the midterm elections have been called by the Associated Press:
Democrat Mark Warner wins reelection to U.S. Senate from Virginia
Republican John Rutherford wins reelection to U.S. House in Florida's 5th Congressional District
Republican Greg Steube wins reelection to U.S. House in Florida's 17th Congressional District
Republican Jim Schwartzel wins election to U.S. House in Florida's 19th Congressional District
Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz wins reelection to US House in Florida’s 20th Congressional District
Democrat Lois Frankel wins reelection to U.S. House in Florida's 23rd Congressional District
Democrat Oliver Gilbert wins election to U.S. House in Florida's 24th Congressional District
Democrat Henry Johnson wins reelection to U.S. House in Georgia's 4th Congressional District
Democrat Nikema Williams wins reelection to U.S. House in Georgia's 5th Congressional District
Democrat Lucy McBath wins reelection to U.S. House in Georgia's 6th Congressional District
Democrat Jasmine Clark wins election to U.S. House in Georgia's 13th Congressional District
Democrat Morgan McGarvey wins reelection to U.S. House in Kentucky's 3rd Congressional District
Republican Hal Rogers wins reelection to U.S. House in Kentucky's 5th Congressional District
Democrat Joyce Beatty wins reelection to U.S. House in Ohio's 3rd Congressional District
Democrat Emilia Sykes wins reelection to U.S. House in Ohio's 13th Congressional District
Democrat Becca Balint wins reelection to U.S. House in Vermont's at-large Congressional District
5:50 p.m. ET
Early election takeaways by the Associated Press' Voter Poll are in, and they show that voters are in a sour mood. According to the poll, about 75% of voters feel "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the state of things in the country today, with about 60% blaming high prices more on "Trump's policies" than on outside factors. Additionally, about 70% want to see more checks on the presidency from Congress.
In NBC News' exit polls, similar sentiments are shown with 43% saying among the reasons they voted was to show opposition to the president, who had a 38% approval rating in the exit polls. During the 2018 midterms, he had a 45% approval, according to NBC.
CBS News' exit polls show that about 90% of voters said government corruption made a major impact on their votes, with about 60% saying Trump puts his interests over those of the country and the same amount saying the president was a reason for their House vote.
4:19 p.m. ET
Election Day has been relatively uneventful so far, though plenty of uncertainty still hangs in the air. There have been a few hiccups: flooding forced several Florida polling places to relocate, and in New York’s Westchester County, a ballot scanner problem held up the count, though voting carried on.
In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins, who is locked in a tight race with Democrat Troy Jackson, had her Biddeford office vandalised on the eve of Election Day.
Someone scrawled “BLOOD on her HANDS” in what appeared to be red paint on the sidewalk out front and splattered paint across the door, according to photos her campaign shared with NewsNation. It’s the second time the office has been targeted ahead of the election.
As we get closer to the polls closing, one question remains top of mind for voters on both sides of the aisle: How many seats do Dems need to overcome the veto? Here's a guide to the results.
3:15 p.m. ET
Election Day is more than half over (at least for the polling locations on the East Coast!) and some powerful images have come out of the national coverage. Take a peek at some of the most compelling midterms pictures from around the country.
2:30 p.m. ET
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed released an Election Day ad using the Eminem track "Not Afraid" in it. It overlays the beat with clips from throughout the El-Sayed campaign.
The famously Detroit rapper does not often allow political campaigns to use his music, but did grant approval for the Biden campaign to use "Lose Yourself" in 2020.
1:02 p.m. ET
It has been reported that Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who is in a tight race with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, had her Biddeford office vandalized on the eve of Election Day.
Her chief of staff said it was the second time it has happened at the office leading up to the election.
The New York Times/Siena poll released Sunday showed Collins trailing Jackson by 6 points.
11:30 a.m. ET
Democratic US Rep. Haley Stevens made headlines, earning both condemnation and praise for her decision to endorse Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed over the weekend.
On Tuesday, she showed up to the polls with her mother to cast her ballot in a state where early Election Day voting turnout has been strong, according to officials.
Despite endorsing the Republican in the Senate race, she said, "I told this to our next Speaker of the House, [Democratic leader] Hakeem Jeffries: It's majority-makers day."
When asked if her endorsement was "worth it," she responded by saying, "absolutely. Voting is always worth it."
10:10 a.m. ET
President Trump, who voted early in Florida, is expected to remain at the White House on Tuesday to monitor the results in real time.
This is after an October campaigning blitz saw him hold dozens of rallies in the month leading up to Election Day.
9:42 a.m. ET
The Justice Department is implementing its "largest monitoring effort in history" by sending 1,000 election monitors and observers to locations in all 50 states. The DOJ released the list of cities the monitors will be in.
8:42 a.m. ET
Heavy rains and flash flooding throughout Florida have led to some polling places having to be moved. This was allowed after Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in multiple counties.
8:26 a.m. ET
As voters head to the Election Day polls, final forecasts are in, and they paint a very strong picture for Democrats, though that could also lead to disappointment for them if things break a certain way.
The final New York Times/Siena poll showed leads of more than 5 points for the Democratic Senate candidates in Ohio, Kansas, Maine and Texas, and an 11-point lead for Abdul El-Sayed over Mike Rogers in Michigan, and leads outside the margin of error for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper in Georgia and North Carolina, respectively.
Decision Desk HQ gives Democrats a 63% chance to control both the House and Senate, while prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi both have it above 74%.
7:36 a.m. ET
The polls are opening across the country. The earliest polls opened in Vermont at 5 a.m. ET, and will be opening throughout the day across the rest of the country.
The first polls close at 6 p.m. ET, and the last will close in Alaska's Aleutian Islands at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday.
6:48 a.m. ET
Forecasters are predicting a "blue wave" in the midterms. There are a handful of key races that will give early signs that Democrats are — or aren't — in for a strong night. Included in those are the Maine and Michigan Senate races and a number of House races in Kentucky, Iowa, New York and Texas.
However, some experts warn about being too certain about who controls each chamber shortly after the polls close because a number of states take longer to count than others. If they are called early, one expert told CBS News "then there's a very big wave going on," because the margins of victory are so large.
