Overview
- Preliminary returns on Tuesday, Nov. 3 showed Democrats projected to win majorities in both the House and the Senate, reversing Republican control.
- The U.S. Supreme Court denied the Justice Department’s emergency request to require California officials to segregate about 20,000 mail ballots that the DOJ said came from likely noncitizens; a federal judge had earlier called the DOJ’s identification process full of uncertainty and errors.
- The 2026 midterm cycle became the costliest on record with nearly $12 billion in spending tracked by OpenSecrets and the FEC, driven largely by Super PACs and big donors such as Elon Musk and Michael Bloomberg.
- More than 50 million Americans cast early ballots this year, and differing state rules on when mail and early votes are counted mean some races may take days or weeks to be finalized.
- Several high-profile Republican lawmakers who supported robust aid to Ukraine are leaving Congress, which reduces bipartisan backing for Ukraine policy and could shape how a Democratic-controlled Congress oversees foreign policy and spending under President Trump.