US midterm elections put control of Congress, Trump’s agenda to test

Voters are choosing representatives for all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress. Higher fuel costs, immigration, election administration and the Iran war have emerged as key issues shaping the vote.

Millions of Americans are voting in the 2026 midterm elections, with the outcome set to determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress or Democrats regain power in at least one chamber during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s current term.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats are being contested, alongside gubernatorial and other state-level races. The results will shape the legislative environment for the remainder of Trump’s presidency, including congressional oversight, budget decisions and the administration’s domestic and foreign policy priorities. More than 57 million Americans had already voted before Election Day, according to figures cited by CBS News from the University of Florida Voting Lab.

Democrats entered Election Day with a nine-percentage-point advantage in CNN’s Poll of Polls for the generic congressional ballot, according to the network’s live coverage. The party needs a net gain of three seats to take control of the House and four seats to secure a Senate majority.

However, national polling does not necessarily translate into victories in individual constituencies. The Senate contest is particularly challenging because several of the seats being defended or contested are in states that have consistently supported Republican candidates in recent presidential elections.

CNN identified several factors that could affect the outcome, including polling errors, the geographic distribution of competitive Senate races and Republican gains from congressional redistricting. Democrats are also defending closely contested Senate seats in Maine and Michigan, where Republican challengers remain competitive.

The results will have consequences beyond party representation. A Democratic majority in either chamber would provide the opposition with greater power to investigate the administration, scrutinise legislation and influence federal spending. Republican control, meanwhile, would give Trump greater scope to advance his legislative programme.

The cost of living has emerged as a significant concern for voters, particularly as the war involving Iran continues to affect energy prices.

According to CNN, the national average price of petrol reached $4.15 a gallon on Election Day, a record for the date. The network cited estimates from Brown University’s Climate Solutions Lab indicating that Americans had paid an additional $83.2 billion for petrol since the war began in February, equivalent to approximately $635 per household.

Diesel prices were also reported at a national average of $6.28 a gallon. The additional cost of filling diesel vehicles was estimated at $67.7 billion, or around $517 per household.

The financial burden varies across states, reflecting differences in fuel consumption, transport requirements and regional prices. For households and businesses dependent on road transport, higher fuel costs can feed into spending on commuting, logistics and goods.

CNN also cited a recent New York Times-Siena University poll in which nearly three-quarters of respondents disapproved of Trump’s handling of fuel prices. The figures place energy affordability among the issues facing the administration as voters assess its economic record.

Election administration has also drawn attention as voting proceeds across the country. The Justice Department said it had deployed approximately 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states, with personnel assigned to 126 counties, according to reporting carried by CNN.

The deployment comes amid legal disputes over federal involvement in election administration. An emergency judicial order restricting several Justice Department actions involving election officials remained in force after an appeals court revived it. A separate federal ruling also halted efforts by the Justice and Homeland Security departments to send states lists of alleged non-citizen voters.

In Westchester County, New York, polling places experienced technical problems involving ballot-scanning machines. State Attorney General Letitia James said her office was monitoring the situation and coordinating with local election authorities. Voters were instructed to complete paper ballots and place them in emergency orange bags for later counting while officials worked to resolve the problem.

Local reporting said the equipment difficulties affected multiple polling locations across the county. The county Board of Elections arranged for the ballots to be secured and counted, while technicians were sent to address the disruptions. The problems had not prevented voters from casting ballots, according to the available reports.

The incidents underline the importance of contingency arrangements in election administration. Technical failures can delay the process and create uncertainty among voters, but the use of paper ballots and alternative counting procedures can help preserve the opportunity to vote.

The presence of federal immigration officers near polling locations has also become a source of concern. CNN reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership had reminded officers at at least one field office not to wear agency branding when visiting polling places to vote.

Former senior ICE officials told the network that agency leadership had issued similar reminders in previous election years, urging officers to exercise caution around polling locations. Department of Homeland Security officials said they were not aware of any change in enforcement operations or plans to deploy personnel to polling sites.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had previously said officers could be present under specific circumstances, such as responding to a threat or serving a warrant. Federal law generally restricts the deployment of armed forces or troops at places where elections are being held.

The issue has added to wider concerns about voter confidence, the role of federal agencies and the distinction between legitimate law-enforcement activity and actions that could discourage participation.

Alongside congressional contests, several states are holding closely watched gubernatorial elections. The races include candidates seeking to make history by becoming their states’ first elected female governors.

In Georgia, Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms is seeking to become the state’s first female governor and the first Black woman to hold a governorship in the United States. She is facing Republican Rick Jackson in a closely contested race.

Other significant contests include Minnesota, where Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is challenging Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, and Tennessee, where Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn is running against Democrat Jerri Green. Ohio could also elect its first woman governor if Democrat Amy Acton defeats Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

These contests will influence state-level policy on taxation, education, healthcare and economic development, while also providing an indication of political preferences beyond the national congressional races.

The 2026 midterms are taking place against a backdrop of economic pressure, foreign-policy uncertainty and disputes over election administration. The Iran war has added to household energy costs, while immigration and the conduct of federal institutions remain prominent political issues.

The election is therefore more than a contest over congressional seats. It will determine the balance of power between the White House and Congress during the final two years of Trump’s term, with implications for legislation, oversight and the administration’s ability to implement its agenda.

With polls closing at different times across the country, the outcome may take time to establish, particularly in closely contested races and jurisdictions where counting procedures are affected by technical problems. Until results are confirmed, pre-election polling and early voting figures should be treated as indicators rather than evidence of the eventual outcome.

Sources: CNN — Election Day live coverage, 3 November 2026 (source material supplied for this report); Associated Press — The latest: Voters will decide control of Congress in major test of Trump’s second term; CBS News — 2026 elections live updates on final day of midterm voting; News 12 — Voting machine problems reported across Westchester County as ballots placed in bags; New York Attorney General — Election protection hotline ahead of November general election; CNN Press Room — CNN to provide multi-platform coverage of the 2026 midterm elections.