Midterm Returns Start as Final Control of Congress Remains Unclear

Overview

• The 2026 midterms are being decided today with all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships on the ballot and early returns arriving as polls closed Tuesday.
• More than 58.5 million ballots were cast before Election Day, boosting early turnout but leaving many mail ballots to be processed under varied state deadlines.
• Each state runs its own rules for accepting and counting ballots so outcomes are staggered; that decentralization is the main reason media projections and official certifications can take days.
• State law quirks matter: 28 states allow random methods such as coin tosses to break ties while others use runoffs, legislative votes, or executive decisions to resolve deadlocks.
• President Trump has actively endorsed key gubernatorial and Senate candidates, making tonight a test of his influence and affecting whether the next Congress can check or back his agenda.