Election Night 2026: Who Takes Congress?
Election night 2026 decides who takes Congress: all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governors are on the ballot. Republicans hold the Senate 53 to 47 and the House by a handful of seats. We follow the results live, state by state, as the polls close.
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Tonight's Rundown
- Open.Trump's Closing Argument
- I.What's on the Line
- II.Tonight's Clock
- III.7 to 8 P.M.: The First Tests
- IV.9 P.M.: The Big Hour
- V.After Midnight: Alaska and the West
- VI.The House
- VII.Governors
- VIII.Where I'm Watching
- IX.Tonight's Sponsors
Trump's Closing Argument
What's on the Line Tonight
The facts
- On the ballot: all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governors.
- Senate: Republicans 53, Democrats 47. Democrats need a net gain of 4.
- House: 218 Republicans plus 1 independent who sides with them, 214 Democrats, 2 vacant.
- CBS model (Oct. 25): Democrats on track for 229 House seats, with a range of 215 to 237.
- Early vote: more than 59 million Americans voted before today (University of Florida Voting Lab).
Tonight's Clock
The facts
- 6 p.m.: the first polls close, in parts of Indiana and Kentucky.
- 8 p.m.: polls are closed in more than half the country.
- 9 p.m.: closed in more than 80% of the states.
- Texas: in 2024 more than 60% of its vote was in by 9 p.m. Eastern.
- Maine: doesn't report centrally. In 2024, 90% wasn't in until Wednesday afternoon.
- The House may be clear sooner. The Senate could take much longer.
Sources: NPR · CNN · Decision Desk HQ
7 to 8 P.M.: The First Tests
The facts
- North Carolina: Roy Cooper vs. Michael Whatley. Polls call it the likeliest Democratic flip. Democrats last won a Senate race there in 2008.
- Ohio: Sen. Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown are deadlocked.
- South Carolina: Sen. Darline Graham, appointed after her brother Lindsey Graham died, vs. Annie Andrews. Tighter than expected.
- Maine: Susan Collins vs. Troy Jackson. The only GOP Senate seat in a state Harris won.
- Georgia: Jon Ossoff is favored over Rep. Mike Collins. New law: counties report within an hour of polls closing.
9 P.M.: The Big Hour
The facts
- Texas: James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton. No Democrat has won statewide since the early 1990s.
- Michigan: Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday. El-Sayed's campaign says it raised $2.4 million that day.
- Iowa: open seat, Ashley Hinson vs. Josh Turek. Republicans are nervous.
- Kansas: Sen. Roger Marshall vs. Adam Hamilton. Called too close to call.
- Nebraska: Pete Ricketts vs. independent Dan Osborn.
After Midnight: Alaska and the West
The facts
- Alaska: Sen. Dan Sullivan vs. Mary Peltola, a toss-up. First results around 1 a.m. Eastern.
- Two Dan Sullivans: a New York Times investigation alleges Democrats recruited the second one. Peltola denies any part in it.
- Ranked choice in Alaska and Maine: final counts could take weeks.
- Nevada: Gov. Joe Lombardo vs. Aaron Ford, a toss-up.
- California: new House map, a slow count, and a billionaire tax on the ballot.
Sources: NPR · CNN · Decision Desk HQ
The House: 47 Seats Decide It
The facts
- 47 battlegrounds (CBS): 20 held by Democrats, 27 by Republicans.
- Watch first: Florida counts fastest. Its new map has 7 competitive seats, 2 toss-ups.
- Pennsylvania: 4 competitive seats; 3 now lean Democratic.
- DDHQ's top 10: CO-3, FL-9, FL-22, IA-2, ME-2, MT-1, OH-7, PA-1, TX-15, TX-35.
Sources: CBS News · NPR · Decision Desk HQ
Governors: 36 Races
The facts
- Georgia: Rick Jackson vs. Keisha Lance Bottoms, one of the closest in the South.
- Ohio: Amy Acton leads Vivek Ramaswamy in the polls.
- Arizona: Gov. Katie Hobbs vs. Andy Biggs, tilting Hobbs.
- Oregon: Gov. Tina Kotek vs. Christine Drazan, closer than expected.
- Favored: Rob Sand (D) in Iowa, Greg Abbott (R) in Texas, Byron Donalds (R) in Florida.
Sources: NPR · Decision Desk HQ
Where I'm Watching Tonight
How we follow it
- X: live posts from each state as the results come in.
- Decision Desk HQ: "The Projection," live from 6 p.m. Eastern on X, YouTube and Substack, with Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza.
- The AP and each state's election website for official counts.
- Your state: drop it in the chat and we'll pull it up.
Sources: Decision Desk HQ · NPR
Tonight's Sponsors
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