2026 midterm results: who controls the House and Senate, and what's still too close to call

Updated 7:15 a.m. CT, Nov. 4, 2026. First published 10:54 p.m. CT, Nov. 3. This page will be updated as remaining races are called.

Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate, the Associated Press declared overnight. AP called the Senate Tuesday night and the House early Wednesday, after Democrats reached 218 seats. Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats. Alaska's Senate race and dozens of House races are still being counted. All results are unofficial.

Key facts (as of 7:15 a.m. CT Nov. 4; unofficial) - House: AP declared Democrats have won control shortly after midnight CT Wednesday, once they reached 218 seats - Senate: AP declared Democrats have won control at about 10:40 p.m. CT Tuesday - Senate flips: Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas (AP) - Not yet called: Alaska's Senate race and about 75 House races (CBS News) - CBS News count Wednesday morning: Democrats 222 House seats won, Republicans 138 - NBC News estimates Democrats will finish with about 255 House seats; 218 is a majority

Who controls the House?

Democrats do, starting in January, according to AP. AP "does not make projections and will only declare which party has won control of the House when one of the parties reaches 218 seats," it explains. It reached that point early Wednesday. PBS NewsHour's live blog, which carries AP's race calls, posted "Democrats win the U.S. House and take unified control of Congress" at 12:31 a.m. CT. The Washington Examiner reported that the 218th seat, according to AP, was Democrat Johnny Garcia's win in Texas' 35th District. That made this call far faster than in 2022 and 2024, when AP needed eight days.

Other desks got there first. CBS News projected Democratic control at 9:29 p.m. CT Tuesday, and NBC News made the same projection. As of Wednesday morning, CBS News counted 222 seats won by Democrats and 138 by Republicans, with about 75 races not yet determined. NBC News estimates Democrats will win about 255 seats, and CBS says the total could reach 259. Both desks say the estimates could move. Before the election, Republicans held 219 seats and Democrats 214.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is in line to become the first Black speaker of the House if his colleagues elect him, AP has noted.

Who controls the Senate?

Democrats, according to AP. An AP news alert, published by WBRZ at 10:41 p.m. CT Tuesday, said "Democrats have won the US Senate." By Wednesday morning, AP reported that Democrats had flipped at least seven seats: Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. They also held Georgia and Michigan. Democrats needed a net gain of four. The Washington Examiner reports Democrats will hold at least 54 seats.

Senate winners named by AP:

• Iowa: Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat of retiring Sen. Joni Ernst. Pickup.
• Kansas: Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, becoming the state's first Democratic senator since 1932. Pickup.
• Texas: Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton (AP). Pickup.
• South Carolina: Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham. Pickup.
• Ohio: Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Pickup.
• North Carolina: Democrat Roy Cooper won the Republican-held open seat. Pickup.
• Maine: Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Collins conceded first; AP's call was posted at 12:09 a.m. CT. Pickup.
• Michigan: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers. AP called it at 1:27 a.m. CT. Democratic hold.
• Minnesota: Democrat Peggy Flanagan defeated Republican Michele Tafoya. AP called it at 11:07 p.m. CT Tuesday. Democratic hold.
• Georgia: Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff was re-elected over Republican Rep. Mike Collins.
• New Hampshire: Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated Republican former Sen. John Sununu for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
• Republican wins: Sen. Pete Ricketts was re-elected in Nebraska over independent Dan Osborn. Sen. Ashley Moody won Florida's special election. Rep. Harriet Hageman won Wyoming's open seat. Rep. Andy Barr won Kentucky's open seat.

Which key House races have been called?

These are CBS News projections unless another desk is named. Times are converted to Central:

• Pennsylvania: Democrats beat four Republican incumbents. Bob Brooks, Paige Cognetti and Janelle Stelson beat Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (7th), Rob Bresnahan Jr. (8th) and Scott Perry (10th); AP also reports all three lost. Bob Harvie beat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the 1st (11:48 p.m.).
• Iowa: Democrats won three of the state's four seats. Sarah Trone Garriott beat Rep. Zach Nunn in the 3rd (11:12 p.m.). Christina Bohannan beat Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the 1st (11:25 p.m.). Lindsay James won the open 2nd (11:33 p.m.).
• New Jersey 7th: Democrat Rebecca Bennett beat Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (8:56 p.m.).
• Colorado 8th: Democrat Manny Rutinel beat Rep. Gabe Evans (9:04 p.m.).
• Kentucky 6th and North Carolina 11th: Democrats Zach Dembo and Jamie Ager won open Republican-held seats. AP called the North Carolina seat at 7:53 p.m.
• Virginia 2nd: Democrat Elaine Luria beat Rep. Jen Kiggans (11:06 p.m.).
• Missouri 2nd: Democrat Fred Wellman beat Rep. Ann Wagner (11:11 p.m.).
• Ohio: Democrat Don Leonard beat Rep. Mike Carey in the 15th (11:19 p.m.). Brian Poindexter beat Rep. Max Miller in the 7th (12:28 a.m.).
• Texas: Democrat Bobby Pulido beat Rep. Monica De La Cruz in the 15th (11:42 p.m.). Katy Padilla Stout won the open 23rd (12:44 a.m.). Johnny Garcia won the redrawn 35th (12:41 a.m.).
• Nebraska 2nd: Democrat Denise Powell won the open seat of retiring Rep. Don Bacon (11:51 p.m.).
• Wisconsin: Democrat Mitchell Berman beat Rep. Brian Steil in the 1st (12:05 a.m.). Rebecca Cooke beat Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd (12:07 a.m.).
• Indiana 5th: Democrat J.D. Ford beat Rep. Victoria Spartz (1:11 a.m.).
• California: Democrat Mike McGuire beat Rep. James Gallagher in the redrawn 1st (12:51 a.m.). Richard Pan beat Rep. Kevin Kiley in the 6th (2:20 a.m.).
• Utah 1st: Democrat Ben McAdams won the newly drawn seat (11:39 p.m.).
• Democratic holds in redrawn districts: Reps. Kathy Castor (Florida 14th), Jared Moskowitz (Florida 25th), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas 34th) and Shomari Figures (Alabama 2nd) won.

Which races are still too close to call or not yet called?

As of 7:15 a.m. CT, we had not confirmed a call by AP or another major desk in these races:

• Alaska Senate: not called by AP. The bulk of Alaska's mail results isn't expected before Nov. 18, the deadline to receive overseas and military ballots, AP reports. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the result if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, citing a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, AP reports.
• New York 17th: Republican Rep. Mike Lawler conceded to Democrat Cait Conley, and AP's main story lists him among defeated Republicans. CBS News had not projected the race, which was slowed by the Westchester County scanner problem.
• North Carolina 9th and Virginia 1st: NBC News reports Democrats Richard Ojeda and Shannon Taylor defeated Republican Reps. Richard Hudson and Rob Wittman. CBS News still lists both races as awaiting results.
• Other House races CBS lists as undetermined include Arizona's 1st and 6th, California's 22nd, Colorado's 4th and 5th, Michigan's 4th and 7th, Montana's 1st, Florida's 7th, 9th, 13th and 27th, North Carolina's 1st and Washington's 3rd.

"Not yet called" means a desk hasn't called the race. It doesn't mean the race is close.

When will we know the final results?

Control of both chambers is settled, according to AP. Final seat counts may take days or longer, especially in states that count mail ballots after Election Day, such as California and Alaska. Our early-voting explainer explains each state's rules. Every number here is unofficial until states certify.

Were there voting problems?

Fewer than feared. Election Day "unfolded with relatively few problems," AP reported. The biggest disruptions were weather-related: flooding forced some Florida polling places to move and kept hundreds of voters on the Navajo Nation in Arizona from reaching the polls, AP reported. In New York's Westchester County, Election Day ballot scanners couldn't read ballots in part of the county after a late programming change, the New York State Board of Elections said, according to CBS News. Ballots were held "under bipartisan oversight" for later counting.

Two viral election-night claims didn't hold up. See our Plumb Line checks of the Houston "FBI raid" ballot claim and the claim that NBC would declare control before winners were known.

How we're covering results

We report a race as won only after AP or another major decision desk (NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox News or Decision Desk HQ) calls it, and we name the desk. We don't project results ourselves. Where desks disagree, we say so.

Sources

• AP, "Democrats win the US House and Senate as voters deliver a strong rebuke to Trump and Republicans," updated Wednesday morning, Nov. 4, 2026 (full text as carried by WRAL)
• AP live updates, checked Nov. 4, 2026, about 7:15 a.m. CT
• AP, Jackson defeats Collins in Maine, Nov. 4, 2026
• PBS NewsHour live updates with AP race calls, Nov. 3–4, 2026
• PBS NewsHour/AP results: Michigan Senate, Minnesota Senate, Kansas Senate
• AP news alert, "Democrats have won the US Senate," as published by WBRZ, Nov. 3, 2026, 10:41 p.m. CT
• AP, Talarico wins Texas Senate race, Nov. 3, 2026
• AP, how AP calls control of Congress
• CBS News, House election live results, updated Nov. 4, 6:57 a.m. CT
• NBC News, "Democrats win control of the House of Representatives," updated Nov. 3, 11:44 p.m. CT
• Washington Examiner, Nov. 4, 2026, 12:43 a.m. CT
• The Guardian, Nov. 4, 2026
• New York Post, Nov. 3, 2026

Photo: Architect of the Capitol, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped to 16:9). The west front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. File photo.

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.