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Record early votes, $11.6 billion in ads and court fights mark 2026 midterms
States Newsroom reported more than 46 million early votes, $11.6 billion in projected ad spending and Justice Department election lawsuits as U.S. voters head to the polls Tuesday.
U.S. voters go to the polls Tuesday after early ballots passed 46 million by Friday, topping the 2022 midterm mark, according to a States Newsroom national report carried by Arkansas Advocate and other network sites1.
Campaigns are on track to spend $11.6 billion on advertising, AdImpact told States Newsroom, with the Ohio and Texas Senate contests leading the outlays1. Democrats need a net four Senate seats for control, while Republicans hold a narrow House majority1.
President Donald Trump's Justice Department has lost court fights over mail ballots and voter-roll access, States Newsroom reported, including a Friday appeals-court denial of an effort to quarantine as many as 20,000 ballots1. The department is still pursuing a preemptive suit over Alaska's Senate results depending on who wins1.
Asked whether he would accept a Democratic victory, Trump said he would "if they're honest elections," the report said, and did not rule out further federal action1. He also pledged a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans kept congressional majorities1.
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy aired a $4 million ad in which the estranged mother of Democrat Amy Acton called her "a liar," then pulled it Friday after about 10 days, States Newsroom said1. Outgoing Republican Gov. Mike DeWine criticized the ad; Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended it1.
Polls cited in the report put cost of living, including fuel and food prices tied in the piece to the Iran war and tariff policy, as the top voter concern1. Economist Jared Bernstein, a former Biden adviser speaking at a briefing for Democrat-aligned Defend America Action, said a majority disapprove of Trump's handling of costs1.
Cook Political Report as of Friday listed Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas Senate races as toss-ups1. Inside Elections on Thursday projected Democrats could reach at least a 50-50 Senate, ranking Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio and Texas as tilting Democratic1.
University of Maine political scientist Rob Glover said polling has been shaky in recent cycles and he would not assume Republicans lose both chambers, while adding that Republican strategists would have reason to worry1. Colby College's Carrie LeVan said she does not expect a shift as large as the 2010 House wave1.
Multiple federal judges have rejected a Justice Department request that California set aside about 20,000 ballots of voters it calls suspected noncitizens, with the 9th Circuit adding losses Friday; a similar request went to Washington state1. A D.C. federal judge said a decision on whether to bar such demands was due Monday1.
What's next is Election Day on Tuesday, possible Supreme Court action on the ballot cases, and certification fights, including the Alaska Senate suit1. How far early turnout will move the House and Senate remains unknown1.