USAupdated 1h ago2 min read
United States Midterm Elections: Democrats Seek Control of House and Senate From Republicans
6outlets comparedA wider view of the story
5 Western Mainstream1 Latin AmericanThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Democrats pursue control of both chambers in the 2026 midterms. Real-time results show competitive races nationwide, with Texas pivotal for House and Senate outcomes.
Save coverage image
6 outlets told this the same way.
Midterms and control
The United States held midterm elections on Tuesday for 435 members of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate, with the outcome framed as a test for the presidency of Donald Trump. The Republican Party currently controlled both the Senate and the House of Representatives, while polls pointed to Republicans losing control of the lower chamber and possibly also the Senate to the Democrats. The elections renew 435 seats in the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate, described as 35 of 100.
Democrats need to reach a majority of 51 seats in the Senate, with Democrats backed by two independents and needing to seize at least four from the Republicans who hold 53. Democrats needed to flip three seats from the Republicans in the House of Representatives and flip 4 seats from the Republicans in the Senate.
When polls close
Uncertainties would begin to clear starting at 01:00 (Spanish Peninsular Time) with the closing of polling stations in the first states on the East Coast. Alaska would be the last to close, at 07:00, while North Carolina and Ohio would close at 01:30 and Maine and Texas at 02:00. Iowa, Kansas and Michigan would close at 03:00, and television networks would publish vote projections as ballots are counted.
Texas House results were being tracked with projections by the NBC News Decision Desk and data provided by The Associated Press. The expected vote figure is an estimate based on information on votes cast early and information provided to vote reporters on Election Day from county election officials.
Texas races and stakes
Texas Republicans kicked off redistricting in 2026 by redrawing the map with the hope of flipping up to five Democratic held seats, and NBC News said there were competitive races across the state including three in South Texas. The Texas Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico drew national attention, and Talarico defeated Paxton to become the first Democrat in 38 years to win a seat in the Texas Senate. Paxton reached the general elections after defeating Republican Senator John Cornyn in the party's primary runoff, and Paxton has held the office of Texas attorney general.
Texas governor elections featured Republican Greg Abbott seeking to continue in office against Democrat Gina Hinojosa, and Abbott has held the governorship since January 2015. The initial results for the Senate pointed to a decisive Democratic victory and listed James Talarico as a Texas Senate winner for the Democrats.