2026 Midterms Test Trump and Congress

ABC News’ live coverage follows the final hours before the 2026 US midterm elections, with polling suggesting close contests and uncertainty over control of Congress. President Donald Trump used his last major campaign appearance in Washington to urge voters to keep Republicans in control, while acknowledging the historical difficulty faced by a president’s party in midterms. He called the election exceptionally important and criticized Democratic candidates. At the same time, several Republican candidates in tight races are seeking to establish distance from Trump. Georgetown political scientist Hans Noel says Trump’s unpopularity has weakened the value of his endorsement, and Maine Senator Susan Collins is presented as one example of a Republican emphasizing independence. The coverage outlines the Senate battleground: Democrats need to gain at least four seats to take control and are targeting Republican-held seats in states including Alaska, Kansas, Maine, Nebraska, Ohio and Texas. Republicans are seeking to flip seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire. Texas is highlighted as unexpectedly competitive, with Democrat James Talarico holding a slight polling lead over Republican Ken Paxton since September; interviews with San Antonio voters reflect divided preferences. The live blog also explains that results should begin arriving in Australia on Wednesday morning, November 4, though state-specific counting rules and close margins could delay official calls. The political landscape is complicated by the unpopular Iran conflict and its effects on fuel prices and the economy. Trump had previously said the US would not strike Iran before the election, while Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about a negotiated settlement. Separately, the Associated Press reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing Trump for another wave of strikes after the midterms. Mediators are reportedly working on a framework involving Iran stopping attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade on Iranian ports. Trump has not committed to military action, and neither the Israeli government nor the White House immediately commented directly on the reported discussion.

Americans are voting in the 2026 midterm elections to determine the make-up of the next Congress and fill important state-level positions. Most polling stations are scheduled to open at 7am and close at 8pm local time, following early voting that began in some states in mid-September. The elections are taking place amid sharply increased living costs, with petrol, food and other necessities remaining expensive during the Iran war. Although President Donald Trump is not on the ballot, the results are expected to reflect voters’ views of his first two years back in office. Trump urged Americans to vote as though his presidency itself were at stake. At a Monday rally near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, he called the elections the most important midterms in his lifetime and described the country as being in a “Golden Age.” Historically, the party holding the presidency tends to lose seats in midterms; the scale of Republican losses in Congress and governorships may indicate how voters assess Trump’s performance. The article also describes disputes over election administration. The Trump administration has pursued efforts to address what it calls voter fraud. In Alaska, the Justice Department sued to prevent officials from declaring a winner in the Senate race unless Republican incumbent Dan S Sullivan prevailed. The department argued that voters could be confused by another candidate, Dan J Sullivan, whose name is nearly identical. The article notes that the issue has been widely reported and that the incumbent’s name is clearly marked on the ballot, while the White House has alleged attempted fraud. In California, the White House sought to have as many as 20,000 mail-in ballots rejected, alleging they were cast by non-citizens. The article places these efforts in the context of Trump’s past challenges to election results: after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, he claimed widespread fraud, but election officials and members of his own administration said no widespread fraud had occurred.

The article outlines voting hours, vote-counting expectations and closely watched races in the 2026 US midterm elections. More than 230 million eligible voters can vote on Tuesday, November 3. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are contested, and voters in 36 states will elect governors. Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress. Poll opening and closing times vary by state. Vermont is expected to open first, at 5am Eastern Time (10:00 GMT). Several states begin voting between 6am and 7am, with Michigan opening at 7am. The earliest polls close at 6pm in Indiana and Kentucky. Closures continue in waves, with Alaska last, at around 1am Eastern Time on Wednesday (06:00 GMT). Initial results may arrive as polls close on Tuesday, but early counts do not necessarily identify winners. Election officials report vote counts as ballots are processed, while news organisations such as the Associated Press assess when races can be called. Close contests may take hours or days to resolve, and control of Congress may not be clear immediately. Mail, provisional and other ballots can be counted after election night, meaning final tallies may take days or weeks. The article says Senate Democrats need a net gain of four seats to reach a majority, while House Democrats need three. It highlights contests including Abdul El-Sayed versus Mike Rogers in Michigan; Angie Nixon challenging Ashley Moody in Florida; Jon Ossoff versus Mike Collins in Georgia; Susan Collins versus Troy Jackson in Maine; Chris Pappas versus John Sununu in New Hampshire; and Roy Cooper versus Michael Whatley in North Carolina.

Americans are voting in the 2026 US midterm elections, a contest that could significantly constrain President Donald Trump’s ability to advance legislation during the remainder of his second term. Democrats are widely projected to retake the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate remains uncertain. The article says Democrats would need to gain three House seats and four Senate seats to overtake Republicans. Losing control of either chamber could impede Trump’s legislative agenda, and the results are framed as a referendum on his second term. France 24’s live coverage directs readers to follow updates as voting proceeds. The article also recaps three developments from the previous day. In Michigan’s Senate race, Representative Haley Stevens made a high-profile break with her party by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers instead of Abdul Al-Sayed, the Democrat who defeated her in the primary. Trump sought to rally Republicans at Washington’s Reflecting Pool, a setting the article links to a botched renovation that had come to symbolize what it describes as the disorder of his second term. Separately, the Supreme Court rejected an effort to require California to set aside 20,000 mail ballots cast by people whom the Trump administration claims are noncitizens. The report attributes its coverage to FRANCE 24, Reuters, AP and AFP. The supplied page also includes a notice that requested content may no longer be available, but that is a website message rather than part of the reported election developments.