About this election
The United States holds its midterm elections on 3 November 2026, the nationwide vote held halfway through a presidential term. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up, along with about 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 39 governorships, plus thousands of state and local offices. Coming two years into Donald Trump's second, non-consecutive presidency, the 2026 midterms function as the first national verdict on his administration and on the Republican Party's control of Washington — and they will determine whether that control survives in the 120th Congress or gives way to divided government.
Congressional elections combine two systems. Every member of the House of Representatives is elected for a two-year term by first-past-the-post in a single-member district; the 435 districts are apportioned among the states by population and redrawn after each census, so redistricting battles shape the playing field. The Senate is renewed by thirds: senators serve six-year terms, and the "Class 2" seats — about a third of the chamber — are contested in 2026, each by a statewide plurality (with run-offs in a few states such as Georgia). Governors, who lead the executive branch of each state, are elected separately, mostly to four-year terms. Because the president is not on the ballot, midterms are widely read as a referendum on the party in power, and the president's party has lost House seats in almost every modern midterm.
After the 2024 elections, Republicans hold unified control of the federal government: the presidency under Donald Trump, a narrow House majority, and the Senate. The Democratic Party, in opposition, is seeking to recapture at least one chamber to act as a check on the administration. American politics remains intensely polarised and closely divided, with control of the House in particular hinging on a few dozen competitive suburban and exurban districts, and Senate control turning on a handful of battleground states. Independent voters, turnout differentials between presidential and midterm years, and the president's approval rating are the variables that historically decide the outcome.
In 2024 Donald Trump won the presidency and Republicans secured both chambers of Congress, giving the party a governing "trifecta".
| 2024 result | Republicans | Democrats |
| House of Representatives (435) | 220 | 215 |
| Senate (100) | 53 | 47 |
The House majority is among the narrowest in modern history, so even a small national swing in 2026 could flip control. A majority in the House requires 218 seats; in the Senate, 51 (or 50 with the vice-president).
The central questions are whether Democrats can ride the historic midterm penalty against the president's party to retake the House, whether the more favourable 2026 Senate map lets them contest the upper chamber, and how the economy, immigration, and the conduct of the Trump administration shape the national mood. Governorships in big states, ballot measures on issues such as abortion, and the redistricting fights that have redrawn maps in several states add further stakes. The generic-ballot polling and the president's approval rating will be the headline indicators on the night.
America's electoral geography is deeply entrenched: Democrats dominate the coasts and large metropolitan areas, Republicans the rural interior and much of the South and Plains, with the contest decided in the suburbs of swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. ElectioMap will map results by state and, for the presidential-level comparison, by the patterns that decide House and Senate control as returns come in.
This page will track the battle for the House and Senate and the governorships as results are reported state by state on election night, with a national map. Figures are compiled from the certifying state election authorities and the Associated Press-style tabulations that US media rely on.
They are held on 3 November 2026. All 435 House seats are up, along with about 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 39 governorships, plus thousands of state and local offices. The president is not on the ballot.
Held halfway through a presidential term, midterms are read as a referendum on the party in power — here, Donald Trump's Republicans, who hold the White House and both chambers. They decide control of the 120th Congress and so whether the president faces a friendly or divided legislature.
House members serve two-year terms, elected by first-past-the-post in single-member districts apportioned by population. Senators serve six-year terms with one-third renewed each cycle; the Class 2 seats are contested in 2026, by statewide plurality (with run-offs in a few states).
Republicans won a governing trifecta: the presidency under Donald Trump, the House by 220 seats to 215, and the Senate by 53 to 47. The narrow House majority means even a small national swing could flip control in 2026.
Results are reported state by state through election night and the following days. ElectioMap will track the battle for the House, Senate and governorships with a national map as returns come in.
Compiled and reviewed by Bartłomiej Paruzel, Election Data Analyst, from official results. See our data methodology.