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Voters decide House and Senate control in 2026 midterms
Americans vote Tuesday in midterm elections that will determine which party controls the U.S. House and Senate, with 36 gubernatorial races also on the ballot, CBS News reported.
Americans are voting Tuesday in the 2026 midterm elections, with every U.S. House seat, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships on the ballot1.
More than 57 million people had already voted early, according to the University of Florida Voting Lab as reported by CBS News1.
Republicans hold the Senate 53-47, and CBS News identified 11 contests as the likeliest to decide which party organizes the chamber, including Republican-held seats in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas and Democratic-held seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire1.
A CBS News Battleground Tracker model dated Oct. 25 estimated Democrats on a path to 229 House seats, with a published range that still included a narrow Republican majority1.
WCVB said House control requires at least 218 seats and noted Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island are all electing a senator2.
In New Hampshire, an open Senate race pits Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas against Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's retirement, WMUR reported3.
Texas Republican Ken Paxton told supporters most polls show the race will come down to the wire, and Democrat James Talarico predicted a result that would "shock the nation," CBS News reported1.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied, in an unsigned order with no noted dissents, a Justice Department request that California set aside mail ballots from about 20,000 people the administration said were likely not citizens1.
An administration official said President Donald Trump would monitor results from the White House after remarks Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool1.
Massachusetts polls run 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and New Hampshire hours vary by town from as early as 6 a.m. to as late as 8 p.m.2,3.
Network live blogs had not posted race calls as polls opened Tuesday; when those calls arrive they will be reported separately1,2.
Sources
How it’s being reported
3 versions from 2 sourcesFirst reported by 
WMUR
Election Day live updates with House and Senate control at stake
Congressional control, key Senate races and overnight legal developments
National Election Day notebook: ballot scale, early vote totals, Senate battlegrounds and a Monday Supreme Court order on California mail ballots.
Leaves out State-by-state polling hours
Live updates: Election Day in Massachusetts
Massachusetts ballot and poll hours
Massachusetts voting hours, registration totals and a reminder that New England Senate races can affect national control.
Leaves out House seat-count models
WMURFirstLive updates: Election Day in New Hampshire
New Hampshire statewide and federal contests
New Hampshire races for governor, an open U.S. Senate seat and both House districts, plus a local school-tax ballot question.
Leaves out National House math
Where they agree
- Tuesday is Election Day for Congress and many state offices.
- Control of the House and Senate is the national stake.