2026 US midterm election results updated in real time

The U.S. midterm elections will be held on November 3, local time.

Voters will elect members of Congress. The United States Congress consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be up for election, and the term of representatives is fixed at two years. At the same time, 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will also be up for election. Senators serve six-year terms.

An important responsibility of Congress is to make and pass federal laws, that is, laws that apply nationwide. Draft laws are usually proposed and debated in the House of Representatives first, and the duties of senators include reviewing bills submitted by the House of Representatives and deciding whether to pass or reject them.

The results of the midterm elections will determine whether Trump's Republican Party or the opposition Democratic Party controls Congress, and will affect President Trump's ability to smoothly implement his policy plans.

The election results are also seen as an indicator of how satisfied the American people are with the president's performance so far.

The U.S. government is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial, with powers exercised by the President, Congress and the Judiciary respectively. Therefore, which party controls Congress has a significant impact on how laws are enacted.

Currently, both chambers of Congress are controlled by Republicans, but their majorities are very slim.

Republicans hold 218 seats in the House of Representatives, just one more than the minimum number needed to gain control. There is also an independent who usually votes with Republicans.

In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats. Democrats must win 51 seats to regain control of the Senate. This is because if the two parties each get 50 seats, the vice president, who is also currently a Republican, can cast the decisive vote.

If the opposition Democratic Party regains control of at least one chamber, it will gain the power to submit its own bills to Congress for consideration.

If Democrats win control of either chamber of the House or Senate, Trump will have a hard time getting any legislation passed in Congress.

As a result, his domestic plans may be hampered, although he has found some ways to exercise power without relying entirely on his party.

If Democrats control either chamber, it would also mean they could use committees to investigate matters from Trump's presidency. Allegations of corruption, a new White House ballroom and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement strategies are all likely to come under scrutiny.

There is also debate within the Democratic Party over whether to impeach Trump. The so-called impeachment refers to the introduction of accusations in Congress as the basis for a political trial rather than a criminal trial.