US Midterm Elections 2026 Results: Early Calls, Key Flips and Races Still Open

Americans voted on Tuesday 3 November 2026 in midterm elections for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats. By the early hours of Wednesday morning UK time, the Associated Press had called a string of Senate and governor races, several decision desks had projected a Democratic House majority, and control of the Senate was still uncalled.

The early picture was therefore mixed rather than settled. Democrats banked a high-profile Senate gain in North Carolina and held key seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, while Republicans held seats in Florida, Texas and other states. Counting was still under way in several battleground states, and the AP still listed races in Michigan, Alaska, Maine and Ohio as too early to call.

US Midterm Elections 2026 Results at a Glance

North Carolina Delivers the Night’s Biggest Senate Flip

Former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, won the state’s open Senate seat by defeating Republican Michael Whatley, according to the Associated Press. The seat had been held by retiring Republican senator Thom Tillis, and the result gave Democrats the net gain they needed to start closing the gap on the Republican majority.

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats for outright control, so the North Carolina flip alone did not settle the chamber. It did, however, change the arithmetic for the remaining uncalled races, with the party needing a net three more gains after North Carolina, according to the AP-based reporting checked.

The North Carolina contest had drawn national attention in the final days of the campaign, including a late endorsement dispute in the state’s Senate race. Readers following that twist can read the site’s earlier report on the Haley Stevens endorsement in the Michigan Senate race for how late endorsements shaped the closing days, while the Michigan race itself remained uncalled.

Democrats Hold Georgia and New Hampshire in the Senate

In Georgia, Democratic senator Jon Ossoff won re-election by defeating Republican congressman Mike Collins, the AP projected. The result kept a closely watched Southern seat in Democratic hands and removed one of the seats Republicans had hoped to flip.

In New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas won the Senate election by defeating former Republican senator John E. Sununu, according to the AP-based results reporting. The AP also listed Senate races as called in states including Virginia, Delaware, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Florida and Kentucky, with incumbents and favoured candidates holding those seats.

The AP’s Senate results page listed 35 races in total, with a mix of called races and races still too early to call. Voters and analysts were warned that the AP calls a race only when the trailing candidate cannot catch up, a method explained in Reuters’ guide to how US news organisations make midterm race calls.

Georgia and Florida Governor Races Make History in Opposite Directions

Georgia produced one of the night’s most historic results. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican businessman Rick Jackson to become Georgia’s governor, making her the first Black woman elected governor in the United States, according to AP-based results reporting.

Florida moved in the other direction. Republican representative Byron Donalds defeated Democratic nominee David Jolly to become Florida’s governor, making him the state’s first Black governor. The two results underlined how the night’s governor contests cut across party lines rather than forming a single national wave.

Elsewhere, Democrat Kathy Hochul won re-election as governor of New York, Democrat JB Pritzker won re-election in Illinois, and Democrat Helena Foulkes won the Rhode Island governor’s race. Those results were reported by AP-based live results coverage as counting continued.

House Projected to Flip While the Senate Waits

Multiple decision desks projected that Democrats had won control of the House of Representatives. NBC News projected a Democratic House majority, Decision Desk HQ projected the same outcome, and Newsmax projected at 9:09 p.m. ET on Tuesday that Democrats had won the chamber.

Those projections were not the same as an AP call of House control. The live coverage checked noted that the AP had not yet announced a House call when the projections were made, and the AP’s own House results page still showed large numbers of uncalled races. Readers should therefore treat the House outcome as projected by those desks, not as a final certified result.

If the House projection holds, it would end Republican control of the chamber and set up divided government for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Newsmax reported that the result positions House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to become speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, a step that would follow formal certification and the seating of the new House.

For context on how the day began, the site’s earlier US midterm elections 2026 voting-day guide explains what was on the ballot before any votes were counted.

What Remains Undecided and Why Some Races Take Longer

Senate control remained the biggest unanswered question early on Wednesday morning UK time. With Republicans entering the night holding 53 seats, Democrats needed a net gain of four for a 51-seat majority, and a 50-50 tie would leave Republicans in charge through Vice President JD Vance’s tie-breaking vote.

Several Senate races were still listed by the AP as too early to call, including Michigan, where only about a fifth of precincts had reported in the AP data checked, as well as Alaska, Maine and Ohio. Counting in western states was also still under way when eastern results were already being called, which is a normal feature of US election nights rather than a sign of a problem.

Final certified results will take longer than election-night calls. Projections are based on counted votes, exit polls and statistical modelling, while official certification follows state-by-state canvassing. That distinction matters most in close races, where a projected winner and a certified winner can be separated by days of further counting.

Frequently Asked Questions

When were the US midterm elections 2026 held?

Voting took place on Tuesday 3 November 2026, with all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats contested.

Has control of the Senate been decided?

No. As of the early hours of Wednesday morning UK time, no major decision desk checked had projected Senate control, and several Senate races remained too early to call.

Has control of the House been decided?

Several decision desks, including NBC News, Decision Desk HQ and Newsmax, projected a Democratic House majority. The AP had not yet announced a House call in the coverage checked, so the House result should be described as projected, not final.

Which Senate seat flipped parties?

North Carolina, where Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley for the open seat previously held by Republican Thom Tillis.

Who won the Georgia governor’s race?

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in the United States.

Is the Michigan Senate race decided?

No. The AP still listed Michigan as too early to call in the data checked, with only about a fifth of precincts reporting.

A common misunderstanding is that a projected winner is the same as a certified winner. It is not. A projection means a decision desk judges the trailing candidate cannot catch up, while certification is the formal state process that confirms the result after counting is complete.