The 2026 US midterm elections will put every seat in the House of Representatives and roughly one-third of the Senate before voters, determining the composition of Congress during the second half of President Donald Trump’s four-year term.
The midterms are general elections held near the midpoint of a president’s term, on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. At the federal level, the biggest contests are for the House and Senate, although voters will also choose officials at state and local levels.
Also read: US Congress explained: What are the House of Representatives and the Senate?
435 House seats, 33 Senate seats
All 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are contested in every midterm election. House members serve two-year terms, meaning the entire chamber faces voters every two years.
The Senate is different. Senators serve six-year terms, with their elections staggered so that 33 or 34 of the chamber’s 100 seats are contested in a given election cycle.
The exact Senate class up for election is determined by the chamber’s staggered schedule. Special elections can also take place alongside regular elections, potentially adding contests for partial terms.
The results will determine which party controls each chamber of Congress and could affect the legislative environment facing Trump during the latter half of his term.
Also read: How are US midterms different from presidential elections? What to know before 2026 polls
Governors and local offices
The 2026 midterms will extend well beyond Capitol Hill. Thirty-six states elect governors during midterm elections. In most of those states, governors serve four-year terms. Vermont and New Hampshire, however, elect governors every two years, meaning their gubernatorial races occur during both presidential and midterm election years.
State legislative seats will also be contested in many states, alongside municipal races. Ballots can include contests for mayors and other local offices, as well as citizen- and legislatively referred ballot initiatives.
Midterms traditionally attract fewer voters than presidential elections. Over the past six decades, presidential elections have generally recorded turnout of about 50% to 60% of eligible voters, compared with roughly 40% in midterms.
Historically, the president’s party has often lost congressional seats in midterm elections, with the opposing party sometimes gaining control of one or both chambers. The 2026 results will therefore determine the congressional landscape for the final two years of Trump’s current term.
