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

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DETROIT — The atmosphere inside Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers’ watch party has turned increasingly festive as crowds continue to fill the venue.

Cheers erupted among attendees when Rep. Byron Donalds was declared the winner of the Florida governor’s race. Still, there has been no sign of Rogers himself, though the Washington Examiner is told he and gubernatorial candidate John James are with their families in a suite.

Among those in attendance in the crowd is Lewis Soldatek, who said his family’s military history and concerns about national security shape his political views. Soldatek said his father was a Marine Corps veteran who served during World War II and the Pearl Harbor era.

“We’re fighting it on the shores in the United States of America,” Soldatek said, expressing concern about what he described as the growing influence of communism and socialism.

He also defended higher gas prices as the cost of confronting Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“What’s the cost of freedom? I can pay a little more money to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon,” Soldatek said. He warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten Israel and hold the rest of the world hostage.

Also at the watch party was Michelle Nard, a Republican candidate for the newly drawn state Senate District 10 seat, who described her decision to leave the Democratic Party.

Nard said she became a Republican after feeling increasingly out of step with the Democratic Party, despite running for office and winning as a Democrat twice.

She cited disagreements over religious expression, abortion, and her ability to openly support candidates whose positions she believed better represented her views.

“I never left the Democratic Party,” she told the Washington Examiner. “Their values left me.”

Nard also described America as a melting pot and said freedom should be at the heart of what the country represents.

As the crowd continues to build and the celebrations carry on, attendees are sharing their reasons for supporting the Republican ticket. But the star of the evening still hasn’t shown up.

Polls have closed in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah.

In Nevada, Gov. Joe Lombardo (R-NV) is seeking another term in a state that has become increasingly competitive in presidential and statewide elections. Nevada’s electorate, particularly in the Las Vegas area, will be an important measure of the parties’ ability to turn out voters.

Idaho and Montana do not have Senate seats on the ballot, but each state has two House seats that could help Republicans maintain their advantage. Both states are generally considered safe for the GOP.

Oregon has generally favored Democrats in federal elections, although Republicans remain competitive in parts of eastern and southern Oregon.

In Utah, voters are deciding a slate of federal, state, and local contests in 2026. The state’s four House seats are on the ballot, with Republicans seeking to maintain their strong advantage.

North Carolina’s Democratic Sen.-elect Roy Cooper struck a hopeful tone in his victory speech in Raleigh on Tuesday evening after defeating Republican Michael Whatley.

“At the end of the day, I am still a prisoner of hope,” Cooper said. “I truly believe that our best days lie ahead; that we can make the course correction that our great country so badly needs; that North Carolina and the United States have a future teeming with possibilities.”

Cooper noted in his speech that he hopes to end the war in Iran and make healthcare, housing, gas prices, and groceries more affordable.

“I am determined that no matter the challenges that confront me, I will be an independent voice ready to work with anyone to do what’s right for this amazing state that has given me so much,” Cooper, the Tar Heel State’s former governor, said Tuesday evening.

The White House is apparently feeding its staff Cheesecake Factory at its Election Day watch party as races across the country are called.

Top White House staffer Kaelan Dorr posted a picture of a Cheesecake Factory food wrapper on his X account, with the caption “WH eating good on a big day.”

The Cheesecake Factory was thrust into a national controversy in recent weeks after former President Barack Obama mocked President Donald Trump’s White House renovations, saying that the updates looked like “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”

The jab sparked a back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats, as Trump’s supporters rallied to defend the president and the restaurant. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent even dined publicly at a Cheesecake Factory near the White House.

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, according to 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 on 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 buyer’s 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.