The 2026 midterm election results are rolling in, and Democrats are stacking up Senate wins in the first hours. The fight for control of Congress is far from over, though.
What the midterm election results mean for your wallet
Strip away the maps and it comes down to two things. Control of Congress decides whether Trump’s agenda moves or stalls, and whether Democrats can open oversight investigations. And voters are still mad about prices.
Bloomberg says cost-of-living frustration dominates this election, including fuel prices that spiked after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. Whoever ends up holding the gavel will own that problem next.
Early Senate election results: who has won so far
The first Democratic flip came in North Carolina. Former Gov. Roy Cooper is projected to beat Republican Michael Whatley, the former RNC chair, according to ABC News. The seat is open because Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is retiring. If you wondered why that call took so long, see why North Carolina’s first results came late.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, NBC News projected Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff to win re-election. In New Hampshire, ABC reports Democrat Chris Pappas won the Senate seat and Republican John Sununu conceded.
Republicans got one on the board too. ABC projects Sen. Ashley Moody beats Democrat Angie Nixon in Florida. Fox News projects Democrats Cory Booker in New Jersey and Ed Markey in Massachusetts will win, as expected.
One caution on all of this: calls vary by outlet, and the numbers were still moving as of about 8:25 p.m. ET. Check which network made each call before you repeat it.
What control of Congress takes in the midterms 2026 results
Here’s the math. Republicans hold the Senate 53-47, so Democrats need to flip four GOP-held seats for control, The Hill reports. In the House, all 435 seats are up, and Democrats need a net gain of three.
Forecasters don’t agree on how likely that is. Decision Desk HQ gave Democrats a 57% chance at the Senate and 80% at the House on Tuesday afternoon. Fox News, however, rates the Senate a toss-up, with Alaska, Texas and Iowa on its list of races that could decide it. Most public Senate polling leads are narrow and within the margin of error.
Early wins in North Carolina and New Hampshire help Democrats. The real test comes in the red-state toss-ups.
NBC’s Steve Kornacki, whose early-night bellwethers guide flags a handful of House races plus the Senate contests in Florida and South Carolina, is watching those same spots. For context on the mood in the electorate, see how exit polls hand Trump his lowest midterm approval mark.
What happens next in the Senate election results
Polls in the rest of the West and in Alaska close later tonight. Watch the Senate toss-ups in Texas, Iowa, Alaska, Ohio and Maine, plus the House bellwethers. Chuck Schumer told reporters in Brooklyn he is “optimistic that when the polls close tonight, there will be a new Democratic majority in the United States Senate.” Optimism is not a call.
Election officials may not settle close races tonight. Late-counted mail and early ballots, or recounts, could push control of a chamber into the coming days.
So get some sleep. The big board will still be there in the morning, and it will not be in a hurry.
