Americans vote on Tuesday 3 November in midterm elections that will decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress for the last two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.
What Is on the Ballot
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, along with 35 Senate seats and 39 governorships, The Guardian reported.
The Senate contests are 33 regular races plus special elections in Florida and Ohio. The governorships cover 36 states and three territories.
Thousands of state legislative seats, local offices and judicial contests are also on the ballot, along with ballot measures on taxes, abortion rights and voting rules, The Guardian reported.
In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody is running for the last two years of Marco Rubio’s former Senate term against state lawmaker Angie Nixon, according to AP, via PBS News.
The Numbers Each Side Needs
Republicans hold the Senate 53-47. Democrats need four seats for a majority, because Vice President JD Vance would hold the tiebreaking vote in a 50-50 chamber, according to The Guardian. That would take them from 47 seats to 51.
In the House, Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take the chamber, The Guardian reported.
Reuters has estimated that only about 40 to 50 House races are truly competitive, The Guardian reported.
History and the Polls
The president’s party has lost House seats in 18 of the past 20 midterms, according to The Guardian.
Trump has been telling voters to “pretend I’m on the ballot”, The Guardian reported.
Early voting is under way. Trump cast his ballot in person at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office on Saturday 24 October, US time, AP reported, via PBS News. Asked if he had voted the party line, he answered “Very much so.”
As at 26 October, Democrats led the generic ballot by 9.5 points in Nate Silver’s polling aggregate, The Conversation reported.
On the same date, Silver’s model gave Democrats a 75% chance of winning the Senate and a 95% chance of winning the House, and Trump’s net approval rating stood at minus 23.3, according to The Conversation.
Those figures are probabilities from a model, not results.
Races to Watch
The Guardian listed Michigan, Georgia, Maine, Ohio and Texas among the Senate races to watch.
In Texas, Republicans have spent about $210m supporting Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico, according to The Guardian.
In the House, Republican-led redistricting has not delivered the firewall the party expected, NPR reported. North Carolina’s redrawn 1st District was a toss-up as at 26 October, with more than $42 million in advertising between 1 September and polling day.
“It just has not turned out that way,” Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections said, according to NPR.
What Control Means
A Democratic House could launch investigations into the administration, The Guardian reported. The Senate confirms cabinet officials and judges.
When the Results Land in Australia
Polling day in the US, Tuesday 3 November, is Wednesday 4 November in Australia.
Results may not be known on election night, The Guardian reported, because of close counts, different state rules for early and postal ballots, recounts or legal challenges.
Buzzline has also reported on the order that Trump sit for a deposition in his $10 billion BBC lawsuit by 11 December, and on the US sanctions on the ICC condemned by Nobel winner Navi Pillay.
More world news is in Buzzline’s International section.
Sources: The Guardian, “What are the US midterm elections and why do they matter?”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/what-are-midterm-elections); The Conversation, “Democrats remain clear favourites to gain control of Congress at midterms as Trump’s ratings slide again”, 26 October 2026 (https://theconversation.com/democrats-remain-clear-favourites-to-gain-control-of-congress-at-midterms-as-trumps-ratings-slide-again-295134); NPR, “Republicans are spending millions and still may not win districts drawn to favor them”, 26 October 2026 (https://www.npr.org/2026/10/26/nx-s1-6008167/republican-redistricting-midterms-competitive-map); PBS News, “Trump casts his midterm ballot early in Florida”, 24 October 2026 (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-casts-his-midterm-ballot-early-in-florida)
Photo: Architect of the Capitol, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, home of the House and Senate.
