Election Day 2026: Control of Congress and Governors' Mansions on the Line

Today is Election Day for the 2026 midterms, the first nationwide vote since President Trump's current term began and a test of which party will control the 120th Congress.

Under the Constitution, the entire House of Representatives and about a third of the Senate stand for election every two years, along with a large number of state governorships. That structure is what makes midterm elections, held two years into a presidential term, such a widely watched gauge of the public mood. This year's races will decide not only the balance of power in Washington but also who runs statehouses that will redraw congressional maps later this decade and oversee budgets, schools, and infrastructure spending closer to home.

The campaign unfolded against an unusually turbulent fiscal backdrop. The current fiscal year opened with the longest federal government shutdown in modern history, a stretch that ran for 43 days from October 2025 into mid November. Two shorter shutdowns followed in early 2026, before Congress, wary of heading into an election year with the lights off in Washington, passed a stopgap spending measure in September by a wide 370 to 48 House vote to keep the government funded through the fall despite resistance from some lawmakers. That history of funding fights has kept federal spending, the cost of living, and the basic functioning of government near the center of campaign debates in many races.

Beyond the horse race numbers, voters in several states are also deciding ballot measures touching on healthcare costs, prescription drug pricing, and housing policy, issues that investors have been watching closely because the outcomes could shape regulation and spending in those industries regardless of which party wins the most seats. Results will begin arriving tonight as polls close across time zones, with the closest contests likely to take longer to call.

Watch for the overall turnout figures, which states flip control of their House delegations or governor's mansions, and how quickly networks are able to project a winner in the Senate. Full results, including in close down ballot races, may not be finalized for days.

Why do midterm elections matter so much?

They determine which party controls the House and Senate for the next two years, which affects whether a president's agenda can pass and who sets the legislative calendar.

When will we know the results?

Many races should be called tonight as polls close, but close contests, especially in the Senate, can take days to finalize.

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