Live Senate election updates for 2026's high-stakes midterm races
What to know about the 2026 Senate races:
- There are 35 Senate seats up for election in the midterms on Tuesday.
- Republicans are defending a 53-47 majority in the Senate, with a map that initially appeared favorable to the GOP before stubborn affordability issues and the unpopular war with Iran put several states in play for Democrats. If Democrats net four seats, they will take the majority.
- Maine Republican Susan Collins is fighting for reelection in a state Kamala Harris won in 2024. And in at least five other states, Republicans are in tight races to hold onto GOP control. Democrats are fighting to keep a seat in Georgia, where President Trump won in 2024, while in three other states, they're defending seats following retirements.
- GOP control of both the Senate and the House has eased the way for President Trump's agenda in the first two years of his term. Tuesday's elections will determine whether that continues.
Exit polls show voters in key Senate battlegrounds disapprove of Trump
Trump's job approval is currently underwater in nearly all the Senate battleground states, according to early exit polls, including states that he won by double digits in 2024.
In all the Senate battlegrounds, more say their finances are worse, not better, compared to years ago.
And party control of the Senate was on the minds of voters. Majorities of those voting for Republican candidates and those voting for Democrats say which party controls the Senate was a major factor in their vote.
Peltola says fraud accusations may have been the "push that we needed at the final end to get people reengaged"
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola told reporters on Tuesday that she felt that the accusations of fraud by her GOP opponent, incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, and other Republicans may have been the "push we needed at the final end to get people reengaged."
"Alaskans across the state know that Dan Sullivan voted for this war in Iran 14 times," Peltola said. "You cannot hide from that, no matter how much mudslinging and name calling you do. So, I honestly think that to some extent it backfired, and our supporters have said, 'no, we are not falling for these dirty tricks.'"
The Trump administration filed a lawsuit last month that sought to block the results from being certified if the incumbent senator receives fewer votes than Peltola, but a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit on Sunday. Amid the litigation, The New York Times reported last week that there was a secret effort by political operatives aligned with Peltola's campaign to help recruit Daniel J. Sullivan to peel voters away from the senator. Peltola has denied any involvement in the alleged plan.
When asked if she was expecting more legal challenges, Peltola said "I believe in the rule of law. I believe in justice. I believe in our courts, and I have every faith that things will turn out the way they should."
In Anchorage, Alaska, several voters said they thought the ballot was clear despite the controversy surrounding the two Dan Sullivans, though they differed on whether the dispute itself was legitimate.
Michael Hanson, a 66-year-old Republican who voted for Dan Sullivan, said he was unhappy that the matter was being taken to court and wanted the decision left to voters. Barbara Konrad, a moderate voter who also backed Sullivan, said Mary Peltola had been "corrupted too quickly," and was frustrated by the volume and tone of political ads in the senate race.
— Imani Agbionu and Taurean Small
Eight GOP-held Senate seats considered battlegrounds, 3 are Democratic
There are 11 states that are considered Senate battlegrounds, based on CBS News estimates, with eight of those being GOP-held and three are held by Democrats.
Two of the Democratic-held states, Georgia and New Hampshire, lean Democratic. The third, Michigan, is considered a toss up.
Three of the Republican-held seats, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa, are lean Republican. But four others are toss ups: Maine, Ohio, Texas and Alaska. The eighth state, North Carolina, is lean Democratic.
Democrats need to net four seats to take control of the upper chamber.
What's at stake in Senate elections
In the midterm elections, the party in the White House often suffers losses, and that, along with the GOP's current standing with voters, has thrown a map that seemed pretty favorable to Republicans into question.
Democrats have pickup opportunities in some states that will determine control of the upper chamber: North Carolina, Ohio, Maine, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa and Texas. But at the same time, they're on the defensive in some states, too, like Michigan.
Democrats last won control of the Senate in 2022, maintaining a narrow majority throughout the Biden administration. Control of the upper chamber has major implications for the White House and its policy priorities and nominations, as Mr. Trump eyes the final two years of his presidency.