Americans began voting in the 2026 midterm elections on Tuesday, with control of both chambers of Congress at stake in a closely watched contest widely seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s administration.
Republicans face a difficult battle to retain their narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate, as rising living costs and public dissatisfaction over the war with Iran weigh on the party’s electoral prospects.
Opinion polls suggest Democrats are favoured to regain control of the House, while several competitive Senate races could also put the Republican majority in jeopardy.
All 435 seats in the House are being contested, alongside 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to secure a majority in the upper chamber.
North Carolina has emerged as a major opportunity for Democrats to capture a Republican-held Senate seat, with competitive races also unfolding in Maine, Texas, Ohio and Kansas.
Alaska and Iowa are also being closely watched, while Democrats face the challenge of defending their existing seats, particularly in Michigan, where internal party divisions have complicated the campaign.
The economy has dominated the election campaign, with voters expressing growing concern over fuel prices, inflation and household expenses following the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Recent polling has indicated declining approval ratings for Trump, adding pressure on Republican candidates seeking to distance themselves from unpopular administration policies.
In the House, several dozen competitive congressional districts are expected to determine which party controls the chamber for the remaining two years of Trump’s presidency.
Polling stations will begin closing at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, with preliminary results expected to emerge throughout Tuesday evening and into Wednesday. Closely contested races could take longer to resolve.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice announced its largest election-monitoring operation to date, deploying approximately 1,000 federal monitors and observers across all 50 states.
The department said the operation would focus on compliance with federal voting rights laws and election integrity.
The outcome will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress or Democrats gain the power to challenge Trump’s legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.
