On Monday morning (October 19, 2026), voters began voting in a number of polling centers in the US state of Texas. The state's residents have until November 3 to choose between Democratic candidates who focus their campaigns on economic issues, and Republican candidates who side with US President Donald Trump. Voters will also have to choose the next governor of the state, between Republican Greg Abbott (68 years old), who is seeking to win a fourth term, or Democrat Gina Hinojosa, a lawyer (52 years old), and opinion polls indicate that she is ahead by a slight margin.
In the race for the Senate, Democrat James Talarico, a former teacher (37 years old), succeeded in mobilizing voters, which enabled him to achieve a slight lead over Ken Paxton (63 years old), the current state attorney general and an ally of Donald Trump.
This electoral test represents an important indicator to measure the extent of Americans’ satisfaction with President Donald Trump’s policy. Who will be elected? What issues dominate election campaigns? What are the Democratic Party's chances of winning? This is all you need to know about this election!
What are midterm elections?
Elections are held in the United States, every two years after the presidential elections, elections known as midterm elections because they come in the middle of the four-year presidential term, and they are an important test to measure the extent of voters’ satisfaction with the president’s policies. In the vote scheduled for November 3, all members of the House of Representatives will be elected, in addition to about a third of the members of the Senate. Together, the two chambers make up Congress, the US Parliament. 36 US states and three US territories will also witness new elections to choose governors, that is, the heads of the executive authorities in the states.
Who will be elected, and what is the role of Congress?
Congress consists of two legislative chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives includes 435 members, each of whom represents one of the 435 electoral districts, whose boundaries are determined according to population. The Senate consists of 100 members, with each of the fifty states sending two members to the Senate, regardless of their population. The term of a Senator lasts six years, and about a third of the Council members are re-elected every two years.
This year, elections will be held for 35 seats in the Senate. The primary task of Congress is to pass laws at the federal level. The House of Representatives and the Senate, for example, decide on the general budget, and thus on how the state spends its money. In order to pass any draft law, it must obtain the approval of both chambers, and then it is referred to the president. The law does not become effective until it is signed.
The members of the House of Representatives are currently distributed as follows: 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, and one independent member. As for the Senate, it includes: 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independent members who joined the Democrats. Thus, Republicans, the party of President Donald Trump, have enjoyed a majority in both chambers since the last elections in 2024, which helps the president pass his projects and plans through Parliament with relative ease.
The issues dominating the election campaign?
High costs of living, especially fuel prices, are a central issue in election campaigns. Democrats have focused their election campaign specifically on this issue, accusing the US government of failing to achieve its goal of reducing inflation. They also believe that Trump's tariff policy is an additional reason for the rise in the costs of daily life. Democrats hold the war with Iran, which they oppose in principle, responsible for the rise in fuel prices in particular. Among the measures supported by Democrats is the reinstatement of government subsidies for health insurance, which expired in 2025. They also seek to ease the financial burdens on low-income people, in exchange for increasing taxes on high-income people.
On the other hand, Republicans find themselves forced to defend the president's economic approach, despite increasing manifestations of dissatisfaction with Trump within the party over the past months. At the same time, Republicans are trying to boost their popularity with their core issue, which is toughness on immigration policy, to win more votes from their supporters. As for Donald Trump himself, he is betting that his personality still has sufficient appeal to voters. During the past period, he participated in many electoral rallies and events, and made promises that were difficult to implement.
States that may witness intense competition
In light of the decline in President Trump's results in opinion polls, Democrats hope to obtain a majority in at least one of the two chambers of Congress. To achieve this in the Senate, they would have to win four seats currently held by Republicans, while simultaneously retaining all of their current seats. American media have identified, based on opinion polls, about 13 states in which it is still unclear which party will ultimately be able to win. The states that are expected to witness very close competition for Senate seats include: North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Maine, Texas, Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire, Kansas, and Georgia.
It is noteworthy that Democratic candidates in states that are traditionally Republican strongholds, such as Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio, have real chances of winning Senate seats. In Ohio, for example, Republican Senator Jon Husted finds himself on the defensive, as his Democratic rival Sherrod Brown holds him responsible for allowing data centers to be built in the Midwestern state, a move that is unpopular even among supporters of both parties.
In Texas, too, Republicans are concerned about the possibility of losing a seat they thought was guaranteed. Their candidate, Ken Paxton, is known for his loyalty to Trump, but, according to the New York Times, he complained to Republican donors about the decline in his support ratings after Trump participated in an election rally in Dallas, which benefited his rival, James Tallarico.
Kansas should also be followed, as a Democratic victory there would be a historic event, because the last time they won a US Senate seat from this state was in 1932.
How important is this election for Trump's presidency?
The balance of power within Congress was comfortable for the US President during the first two years of his term. Republican majorities in both chambers have enabled Trump to govern largely unimpeded, and he has often done so by issuing executive decrees bypassing Congress. Since assuming office for the second time, he has issued about 289 executive orders of this type, a number far greater than what he issued during the four years of his first term, when the total number of executive orders reached 220. If Republicans retain control of Congress, Trump may be able to continue this approach, as long as Republicans continue to support him, as they have done so far.
