The 2026 United States midterm elections are underway, with the first results being reported as control of both chambers of Congress is at stake. The Guardian's live tracker showed one of 35 Senate races and two of 435 House races called, with first results expected after 6pm EST.
Republicans entered election night defending a majority in the 435-member House, while Democrats hold 212 seats and need 218 to win control, The Guardian reported. In the Senate, Republicans held the majority before the election, with 33 of the chamber's 100 seats up for regular election this year plus two special elections.
The Cook Political Report classified six Senate races as genuine "toss-ups" before the vote. Democrats need to win at least three of these, alongside the other races they are expected to win, to take the Senate, according to The Guardian's analysis. The balance of power in the House turns on whether Democrats hold the 18 seats rated "lean Democratic". Republicans, favoured in 195 seats, would need to sweep all 18 toss-ups and flip five Democratic-leaning seats to win.
Gubernatorial elections are taking place in 36 states and three territories. Republicans and Democrats each held 18 governorships before the election, and three incumbent governors are retiring. Florida and Ohio are holding special Senate elections because the previous holders of their seats, Marco Rubio and JD Vance, resigned to join the executive branch following the 2024 presidential election.
In Massachusetts, WBUR is tracking town-by-town results for the governor's contest, the US Senate race and nine ballot questions, along with contested US House, district attorney and Governor's Council races and state Senate and House results.
The Guardian noted that results on its live page are reported by the Associated Press, which "calls" a winner when it determines the trailing candidate has no path to victory, and that estimates of the total vote update throughout election night and in the following days as more data on turnout becomes available.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Control of the House and Senate determines whether the president's party can pass legislation over the next two years, and the Senate alone approves senior presidential appointments such as Supreme Court justices.
- A Democratic House would give the opposition the power to set the legislative agenda, initiate revenue bills and impeach federal officials, while a Republican hold would let the president's party keep pressing ahead.
- The 36 governor races will decide who leads state executives for the next four years, with powers including executive orders, executive budgets, legislative proposals and vetoes.
Background
The US Congress has two chambers: the House of Representatives, whose 435 members each represent a district of roughly similar size and face election every two years, and the Senate, where each state has two senators regardless of population and one-third of the 100 seats come up in each two-year cycle. In most states, the candidate with the most votes wins, but Georgia and Louisiana require a winning candidate to receive 50% of votes cast or face a runoff between the top two candidates. Maine and Alaska use ranked-choice voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference and the least-supported candidate is eliminated until someone wins a majority. Some states use top-two or "jungle" primary systems, which can produce general election matchups between two candidates of the same party.
What to Watch
- Whether Democrats hold the 18 House seats rated "lean Democratic" and win any of the 18 "toss-up" races, which would put them over the 218-seat threshold for control.
- Whether Democrats win at least three of the six Senate races the Cook Political Report classified as toss-ups, along with the races they are expected to win.
- In Georgia and Louisiana, whether any candidate clears 50% of the vote or triggers a runoff; in Maine and Alaska, ranked-choice counting could delay final calls.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedUS midterm results are being reported while control of Congress hangs in the balance.World news | The Guardian: “US midterm elections 2026: live results from Senate, House and governor races in all 50 states. Democrats* 35 0 50 Republicans 31 0”
- SupportedRepublicans are defending their House and Senate majorities, while Democrats seek control of both chambers.World news | The Guardian: “Republicans are defending a majority in the 435-member House. [...] Republicans had the Senate majority before the election.”
- SupportedThe 2026 US midterms are underway, and control of both chambers is at stake.World news | The Guardian: “Most US election seats are reliably won by one party, so control of Congress comes down to a few competitive "battleground" seats.”
- SupportedThe Guardian tracker showed one of 35 Senate races and two of 435 House races called.World news | The Guardian: “1/35 races called [...] 2/435 races called”
- SupportedThe first results were expected after 6pm EST.World news | The Guardian: “First results expected after 18.00 EST (15.00 PST, 23.00 GMT, 10.00 AEST)”
- SupportedRepublicans entered election night defending a House majority; Democrats held 212 seats and needed 218 to win control.World news | The Guardian: “Republicans are defending a majority in the 435-member House. Democrats hold 212 House seats and need 218 to win control.”
- SupportedThirty-three Senate seats were up for regular election, plus two special elections, and Republicans held the Senate majority before the election.World news | The Guardian: “Thirty-three of the 100 members of the upper chamber are being elected regularly this year, along with two other special elections. Republicans had the Senate majority before the election.”
- SupportedThe Cook Political Report classified six Senate races as genuine “toss-ups”; Democrats needed to win at least three alongside the other races they were expected to win.World news | The Guardian: “Before the election, the Cook Report classified six Senate races as genuine "toss-ups". The Democrats need to win at least three of these, alongside the other races they are expected to win.”
- SupportedThe House balance turned on whether Democrats held 18 lean-Democratic seats; Republicans, favoured in 195 seats, needed to sweep all 18 toss-ups and flip five Democratic-leaning seats to win.World news | The Guardian: “The balance of power now turns on whether Democrats hold the 18 seats rated “lean Democratic”. Republicans, favoured in 195 seats, would need to sweep all 18 toss-ups and flip five Democratic-leaning seats to win.”
- SupportedGubernatorial elections were taking place in 36 states and three territories; Republicans and Democrats each held 18 of the state governorships, and three incumbent governors were retiring.World news | The Guardian: “Gubernatorial elections are taking place in 36 states, as well as three territories. Republicans and Democrats held 18 of these state governorships each before the election. Three incumbent governors are retiring.”
- SupportedFlorida and Ohio were holding special Senate elections because Marco Rubio and JD Vance resigned to join the executive branch after the 2024 presidential election.World news | The Guardian: “Florida and Ohio are having ‘special elections’ for the Senate because the previous holders of their seats – Marco Rubio and JD Vance – resigned to join the executive branch following the 2024 presidential election.”
- SupportedThe Guardian said the Associated Press reports results and calls a winner when the trailing candidate has no path to victory; AP vote-total estimates update during election night and over the following days.World news | The Guardian: “The election results on this page are reported by the Associated Press. AP will “call” the winner in a state when it determines that the trailing candidate has no path to victory. [...] The numbers update throughout election night and in the following days”