The 2026 midterm elections are now in their final stretch, with Election Day set for November 3 and control of Congress squarely at stake.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot, along with 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 39 governorships across states and territories, in contests that will determine the makeup of the 120th Congress. The week of Labor Day traditionally marks the unofficial start of general election campaigning, and this year that kickoff carries extra weight: control of Congress for the remainder of President Trump's term is on the line, with Democratic enthusiasm running high heading into the fall.
Primary season is already underway state by state. New Hampshire held its primary on September 8, and Delaware's primary follows on September 15, where Democratic incumbent Sarah McBride, who won her seat in 2024 with 57.9 percent of the vote, is seeking renomination in a race rated safely Democratic by every major forecaster tracking the contest. Races like these are early markers on the way to the broader November contest, and dozens more state primaries are expected in the weeks ahead as candidates finalize their fields.
Not all of the pre-election fights are happening at the ballot box. Voters and election officials are also navigating uncertainty over mail-in voting rules for the midterms, as a legal dispute continues over a US Postal Service plan tied to a push from the Trump administration for tighter restrictions on how mail ballots are handled. Officials in several states say the uncertainty is complicating planning for what is expected to be a high-turnout fall, with campaigns on both sides adjusting their outreach strategies while the litigation plays out.
More state primaries will follow through the fall, and the mail-in voting legal fight is expected to be resolved, one way or another, well before ballots go out in October.
How many House and Senate seats are up for election?
All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats are contested in 2026, along with 39 governorships.
Is the mail-in voting dispute resolved yet?
No, the legal fight over US Postal Service handling of mail ballots was still unresolved as of early September.