US votes today in high-stakes 2026 midterm elections in a key test for Trump and Republicans

Americans are heading to the polls on Tuesday to elect their representatives in the midterm elections, which will determine whether US President Donald Trump retains a Republican majority in Congress for the remaining two years of his term or faces a Democratic-controlled legislature.

The elections will see voters decide all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 governorships. Opinion polls indicate that the Republican Party could face considerable setbacks in the elections.

Republicans enter election day with narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. In the House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson leads a Republican bloc of 218 members, alongside one independent, Kevin Kiley of California, against 214 Democrats, while two seats remain vacant.

According to ABC News, Democrats would need a net gain of at least three seats to reach the 218-member threshold required to secure a simple majority and potentially allow Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to become Speaker of the House.

The US Senate currently has a 53-47 Republican majority. Democrats need to secure a net gain of four seats to make Chuck Schumer the majority leader. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune's party can afford to lose up to three seats and still retain control, with Vice President JD Vance holding the tie-breaking vote. Of the 35 Senate seats being contested, 22 are currently held by Republicans.

The balance of power in the next two years of Trump's presidency will largely depend on which party controls the House of Representatives, the Senate or both chambers.

Trump had earlier described the midterm elections as a referendum on the first 20 months of his second term, urging Americans to vote as though his own name were on the ballot.

A Democratic majority in the House would expose the Trump administration to congressional investigations and give Democrats greater leverage over government spending, including funding for the war with Iran. If Democrats also gain control of the Senate, they would take charge of the confirmation process for federal judges and Cabinet nominees through Schumer's leadership.

For Democrats, however, the Senate race presents a challenge, as several contested seats are in states that Trump won, some by double-digit margins. Even if Democrats secure control of the House but fail to win the Senate, Republicans would retain authority over judicial and Cabinet confirmations.

Polling stations in the first states are scheduled to close at 6 pm Eastern Time. However, the final results in closely contested races could take several days, particularly in Alaska, which uses ranked-choice voting, and California, where vote counting is often prolonged.