2026 midterm elections live updates: Latest news, results, and analysis

Democrat Adam Hamawy, an Army veteran and physician, has won his race in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District against Republican Gregg Mele.

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC HOUSE FRONT-RUNNER ADAM HAMAWY FACES SCRUTINY OVER PAST TERRORIST ASSOCIATION

Hamawy garnered 74.8% of the vote compared to Mele, who won 23.9%, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 8:26 p.m. with 27% of the ballots counted.

Hamway has faced scrutiny over his links to a terrorist implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, named Omar Abdel-Rahman. The race was rated solidly Democratic by Cook Political Report.

Trump is not expected to hold any public events on Wednesday following the midterm elections amid reports he may authorize strikes against Iran.

The president will not be speaking with the press and has multiple private events, including four policy meetings, scheduled for the day, per the White House schedule.

The White House isn’t throwing in the towel despite early numbers indicating a blue wave in both the U.S. House and Senate.

A senior White House official told the Washington Examiner Tuesday night that the “White House mood is defiant.”

One aide indicated that the White House believes the war in Iran moved voters to back Democratic candidates, adding that “anyone who voted Democrat today is going to have a serious case of buyers remorse when gas prices come down quickly when the Iran conflict is solved.”

“Regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger,” that aide added. “Buckle up.”

I’m on my third party of the night and I’ve hit pay dirt. Axios and Kalshi have a penthouse-level terrace overlooking the U.S. Capitol building.

It’s a reminder of what it’s all about — or it would be if the tech bros here weren’t busy making money on their phones.
There’s an open bar and sliders the size of footballs for the rest of us. I might not leave.

Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez were all pushed to victory in their congressional elections on Tuesday, with help from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The progressive mayor lent his endorsement to each of the three New York Democrats. Chevalier and Valdez are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Lander unsuccessfully ran for mayor of New York City last year.

Mamdani took a prominent role in New York’s midterm elections, rivaling Trump in that capacity.

Chevalier, Lander, and Valdez will be representing New York’s 13th, 10th, and 7th congressional districts, respectively.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) won Kentucky’s Senate election on Tuesday evening, defeating Democrat Charles Booker to fill the open seat left by Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) retirement.

Barr, who has served in the House since 2013, defeated Booker, a perennial progressive candidate who lost to Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in 2022. The Associated Press called the race at 9:16 p.m. Eastern, with Barr leading Booker 53.6%-44.2% with 72% of the vote counted.

Barr earned an endorsement from Trump in the final stretch of the contested Republican primary against former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sailed to an easy victory in New York’s 8th Congressional District.

The Associated Press called the race at 9:07 p.m. Eastern, just minutes after the polls closed. Jeffries won more than 80% of the vote, compared to Republican challenger Lewis Mizrahi’s 18.4%.

Jeffries has been the top Democrat in the House since 2023, following Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stepping down to clear the way for younger leaders. He is expected to serve as speaker of the House if the Democrats win back control of the chamber.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) handily defeated Republican Diamant Hysenaj, marking a victory in her bid to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District for a fifth term.

Ocasio-Cortez was leading 78% to 21% with 43% of ballots counted around 9:15 Eastern, according to the Associated Press.

The development comes as the New York Democrat is viewed as an almost certain contender to become the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nominee, with polling typically showing her as the favorite to clinch the nomination in two years.

Democrat Jamie Ager flipped a North Carolina House seat blue, defeating Republican state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom in the 11th Congressional District.

Ager was leading 59% to 39% around 9 p.m., with 86% of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press. The development marks a major win for Democrats, as Trump won the seat by a comfortable margin in the 2024 presidential election.

Ager’s win in his bid to succeed outgoing Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) comes as Republicans faced major headwinds in the race. Edwards won his 2024 race 56% to 43% and was running for a third term in the seemingly safe seat when he withdrew from the race earlier this year over misconduct allegations, leaving Republicans scrambling to find a path forward.

The GOP ended up selecting Balkcom to run in Edwards’s place, just 85 days before Election Day.

Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) has won Delaware’s lone House seat, defeating Republican Joseph Arminio.

The Associated Press called the race at at 8:50 p.m. Eastern Time after McBride won more than 68% of the vote.

McBride was first elected to the House in 2024 after a stint in Delaware’s state Senate. She is was first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress.

Polls in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, and Wyoming closed at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Iowa voters are deciding one of the most closely watched Senate contests of the midterm elections between Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson.

Arizona’s gubernatorial race is among the contests drawing national attention, with Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) seeking another term as she faces off against Republican Andy Biggs.

In Louisiana, voters are deciding a Senate contest between Democrat Jamie Davis and Republican Julia Letlow, who are competing for the open Senate seat expected to go in the Republican’s favor.

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) is retiring, leaving an open seat in Minnesota that Democrats are looking to defend. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is seeking to keep the seat in Democratic hands, with Republicans hoping to capitalize on the opening and make the race more competitive.

New York voters are deciding a series of congressional contests that could help determine control of the House as Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) defends her seat against Republican Bruce Blakeman.

Wisconsin’s open gubernatorial contest is among the races drawing attention, with Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany competing to take over the open governor’s mansion.

Colorado has become increasingly Democratic in federal elections, but its competitive suburban districts remain important to the national battle for control of the House.

Nebraska’s Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) is seeking reelection in a state that has consistently favored the GOP in federal elections. Nebraska’s House districts are expected to stay in the GOP’s hands.

Wyoming’s lone House seat is among the contests on the ballot and is expected to be a safe GOP win.

Republican Ed Gallrein defeated Democrat Melissa Strange in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, securing the victory to replace outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

Gallrein led with 53% of the vote compared to Strange’s 42%, according to the Associated Press, which called the race around 8:45 p.m. with 79% of ballots counted.

Gallrein’s victory comes as a triumph for Trump, who endorsed him in the Republican primary to replace Massie, who ultimately lost the bruising battle. Trump had long railed against Massie as a top Republican rebel in Congress, as the fiscally conservative lawmaker voted against the president on key issues related to foreign policy, national spending, and more.

If the MAGA party was found by following the men in red ties, the Democratic watch party was advertised by a duck on the sidewalk.

It is being hosted by Pro-Animal D.C., the group behind Initiative 86, the ballot proposal to ban foie gras in the district.

The duck is called Olivia, and she ignored shouted questions about the ban.

Stock futures fell on Tuesday night as investors reacted to early news that Democrats were overperforming in the midterm elections.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell about 0.3% around 8:40 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, while the benchmark S&P 500 was down 0.7% in premarket trading. Tech stocks fell even more, with the Nasdaq plunging more than 1.5% as results began to come in.

Democrats wresting control of both the House and the Senate would likely mean more congressional pressure on the artificial intelligence industry and cryptocurrency companies. AI investment has been a major driver of growth in the stock market since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

A blue wave could also raise the odds of Democratic investigations into companies seen as close to Trump. Elon Musk’s businesses took a hit. Tesla was down 3.5% overnight while SpaceX was down 3.8%.

But Democrats winning both chambers could also mean a stopgap against the government passing reconciliation legislation that adds to the national debt. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was down a bit after results started to come in.

The closeness of the Florida Senate and gubernatorial races is a bad sign for Republicans, despite GOP Senate candidate Ashley Moody winning against Democrat Angie Nixon.

She received 50.7% of the vote over self-described socialist Nixon’s 48.2% when the race was called at 8:34 p.m.

Florida was one of the few states where the red wave fully materialized in 2022. Trump won there in each of the last three presidential elections. And Florida narrowly averted the last blue wave in 2018, with narrow GOP wins for Senate and governor.

That looks to be the case again this year, but this shift away from the landslides of 2022 back to the highly competitive races of 2018 is a bad omen for GOP nationally.

More data will need to be digested, but it could signal flagging GOP turnout and a Hispanic movement back to the Democrats — or both.