US voters head to polls in midterm elections as Trump faces test of power

UPDATE - follow-up to U.S. midterm election results 2026: Full list of winners: Americans cast ballots on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in midterm elections that will determine how much power US President Donald Trump retains for the remainder of his term. Voters decided all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the 100 Senate seats, and governorships across 36 states, with more than 210 million registered people eligible to vote. President Trump's Republican Party currently holds control of both chambers of the US Congress. Democrats need to flip enough seats to secure a majority in at least one chamber to limit Mr. Trump's powers during the second half of his presidency. Polling closed in Indiana and Kentucky at 6:00 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, equivalent to 4:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time, with voting concluding in a staggered manner past midnight across different US time zones. Early results began to trickle in with several winners confirmed across different states and districts. Jon Ossoff won in Georgia, Chris Pappas won in New Hampshire, Roy Cooper won in North Carolina, Suhas Subramanyam won in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, Herb Conaway won in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District, and Seth Magaziner won in Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, all representing the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Jimmy Patronis won in Florida's 1st Congressional district for the Republican Party.

Context

Midterm elections in the United States traditionally serve as a referendum on the sitting president's policies halfway through their term. These legislative contests frequently alter the political balance in Congress, which can either stall or fast-track the administration's legislative agenda.