Voters across the country are deciding races Tuesday that could shape control of the U.S. Senate and determine who leads several states for the next four years.
Republicans entered the 2026 midterm election with 53 seats in the U.S. Senate. Democrats hold 45 seats, while two independents caucus with Democrats.
33 regularly scheduled Senate seats and two special-election seats are on the ballot this year.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate races of the 2026 midterms. Libertarian Ted Brown is also on the ballot.
Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, but the race has drawn significant national attention as both parties compete for control of the chamber.
RESULT: [James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton]
LATEST VOTE: Ken Paxton (R): [39%]James Talarico (D): [59%]Ted Brown (L): [2%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Republicans were defending a Senate seat in a state that has long favored the GOP statewide, while Democrats aimed to break a decades-long drought in Texas Senate elections.
UPDATE: Paxton conceded the race to Talarico Tuesday night, saying he would pray for Talarico’s success in the U.S. Senate.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth term against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa. Libertarian Pat Dixon is also on the ballot.
The race has focused on property taxes, public schools, healthcare, border security, data centers and affordability.
RESULT: [Hinojosa defeats Abbott]
LATEST VOTE: Greg Abbott (R): [42%]Gina Hinojosa (D): [57%]Pat Dixon (L): [1%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Abbott sought another term after more than a decade in office, while Hinojosa became the first Democrat elected governor of Texas since the 1990s.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is seeking another term against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in one of the country’s closely watched Senate contests.
Georgia law requires a candidate to receive a majority of the vote to win. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the top two candidates advance to a Dec. 1 runoff.
RESULT: [AP CALLS RACE FOR OSSOFF]
LATEST VOTE: Jon Ossoff (D): [58.94%] Mike Collins (R): [41.06%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Georgia is one of the Democratic-held Senate seats Republicans targetED as both parties compete for control of the chamber.
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
The open-seat race has drawn national attention as both parties compete for Senate seats in closely divided states.
RESULT: [RACE NOT CALLED / AP CALLS RACE FOR ______]
LATEST VOTE: Roy Cooper (D): [58.66%] Michael Whatley (R): [39.15%] Michael Dublin (G): [0.87%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Republicans were defending an open Senate seat in a state that has produced competitive statewide elections in recent cycles.
Republican Sen. Jon Husted faces former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a special election to complete the final two years of the Senate term originally won by JD Vance.
Husted was appointed to the seat in 2025 after Vance became vice president. Brown previously represented Ohio in the Senate for three terms.
RESULT: [AP CALLS RACE FOR BROWN]
LATEST VOTE: Jon Husted (R): [46.4%] Sherrod Brown (D): [48.7%] Other: [4.9%]
WHY IT MATTERS: The contest gives Democrats a formerly Republican-held seat while Republicans fail in an attempt to protect their Senate majority.
Ohio governor: Amy Acton vs. Vivek Ramaswamy
Democrat Amy Acton and Republican Vivek Ramaswamy are competing to succeed Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who cannot seek another term because of term limits.
Acton previously served as Ohio’s health director, while Ramaswamy is a businessman and former presidential candidate.
RESULT: [AP CALLS RACE FOR ACTON]
LATEST VOTE: Amy Acton (D): [51.09%] Vivek Ramaswamy (R): [45.57%] Don Kissick: [3.34%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Acton takes over the governor’s office in a state Republicans have controlled for more than a decade.
Maine uses ranked-choice voting for federal races. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, additional rounds of tabulation may be needed before a winner is determined.
RESULT: [RACE NOT CALLED]
LATEST VOTE: Susan Collins (R): [47.75%] Troy Jackson (D): [52.18%]
WHY IT MATTERS: The seat was a major target for Democrats trying to defeat the Republican incumbent Collins. The state backed the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024.
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are competing for an open Senate seat after Democratic Sen. Gary Peters decided not to seek reelection.
Rogers previously represented Michigan in the U.S. House, while El-Sayed won a competitive Democratic primary.
RESULT: [RACE NOT CALLED]
LATEST VOTE: Abdul El-Sayed (D): [49.69%] Mike Rogers (R): [48.39%] Lydia Christensen (L): [1.02%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Democrats are defending an open seat in a state that has been closely contested in recent presidential and statewide elections.
UPDATE: [ADD LATEST DEVELOPMENT/RACE CALL]
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is seeking reelection against Democrat Adam Hamilton.
The contest has received increased national attention as both parties fight over the Senate map.
RESULT: [AP CALLS RACE FOR HAMILTON]
LATEST VOTE: Roger Marshall (R): [45.85%] Adam Hamilton (D): [51.14%] David C. Graham (L): [3%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Democrats looked for pickup opportunities beyond the states that traditionally receive the most battleground attention as Republicans failed to defend the seat.
Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson faces Democrat Josh Turek for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
RESULT: [AP CALLS RACE FOR TUREK]
LATEST VOTE: Ashley Hinson (R): [46.32%] Josh Turek (D): [50.59%] Thomas Laehn (L): [3.10%]
WHY IT MATTERS: The open seat gave both parties a chance to reshape the Senate map without an incumbent on the ballot.
Four candidates are running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy:
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in statewide general elections. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, lower-performing candidates are eliminated, and voters’ next choices are redistributed until someone reaches a majority.
RESULT: [RACE NOT CALLED / AP CALLS RACE FOR ______]
LATEST VOTE: Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D): [XX%]David Bronson (R): [XX%]Treg Taylor (R): [XX%]Bernadette Wilson (R): [XX%]
WHY IT MATTERS: Three Republicans and one Democrat are competing for an open governor’s office, and Alaska’s ranked-choice system means the winner may not be clear from first-choice results alone.
UPDATE: [ADD LATEST DEVELOPMENT/RANKED-CHOICE STATUS]
Election Night results can look very different from final results, depending on how each state counts early, absentee and Election Day ballots.
Georgia could head to a Dec. 1 runoff if no Senate candidate receives a majority.
Maine’s Senate race and Alaska’s governor race could require ranked-choice tabulation if no candidate wins a majority outright.
Some Alaska mail ballots are also expected to be counted after Election Night, meaning results there could take longer to settle.
We’ll continue updating this story as votes are counted and winners are declared.
