One day before the 2026 midterm elections, candidates in both parties are making their final push for votes, with control of both chambers of Congress hanging on a handful of close races.
Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in the House and Senate, and a wave of competitive contests will decide whether that holds. In Iowa, Republican Ashley Hinson is running for Senate against Democrat Josh Turek in a race recent polling shows her leading by only about two points. In Kansas, Republican Senator Roger Marshall is being challenged by Democrat Adam Hamilton, who has polled narrowly ahead in the campaign's final days. Both races are among several nationally watched Senate contests that will shape the chamber's balance of power.
President Trump spent the weekend campaigning for Republican candidates, holding a rally in Dubuque, Iowa on Sunday for Hinson, and later campaigning in Kansas for Marshall. On Monday he is scheduled to join nine tele-rallies from the White House and to deliver remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, according to the White House. Vice President JD Vance is campaigning in his home state of Ohio today, aiming to boost turnout for Republican candidates there.
The midterms follow a set of off-year elections a year ago that gave Democrats some of their biggest wins since the start of President Trump's second term: Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor's race and Mikie Sherrill won in New Jersey, both states that have a long history of swinging against the party holding the White House. Those results were widely read as an early signal of the political mood heading into 2026, though midterm turnout and dynamics often differ from off-year contests.
Polls close at different times across the country on Tuesday evening. Control of the Senate may hinge on a small number of states, including Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Alaska, where a separate legal fight over ballot certification was resolved over the weekend.
When is Election Day?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with polls closing at staggered times through the evening depending on the state.
What is at stake?
Control of the U.S. House and Senate, both of which Republicans currently hold by narrow margins, along with numerous governor's races and state and local offices.