Voters across the country are deciding control of the U.S. House and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats must flip four seats in the Senate and three seats in the House to wrest control of the chambers from Republicans. Polls have closed in 11 states, and results are beginning to roll into AP’s election system. Here’s when we can expect more results throughout the night.

Power in Congress would give Democrats a means of rebuffing President Donald Trump’s agenda during the final two years of his term. The battle for control is playing out mostly in states and districts Trump previously won by wide margins. All eyes are on Senate contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. House battlegrounds are scattered across the country.

Voters say the economy and the state of democracy are the top issues facing the country, with high costs and government corruption weighing heavily on many Americans’ minds, according to the AP Voter Poll. The poll points to a midterm electorate that is deeply unhappy with the country’s direction and pessimistic about the future.

Here's the latest:

Democrat Amy Acton wins election for governor in Ohio

Democrat Amy Acton won election Tuesday as governor of Ohio, defeating Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The victory by Acton, a physician who was Ohio’s COVID-era health director, marks the first time since 2006 that a Democrat has been elected as governor. Acton became a household name in 2020 as Ohio dealt with a wave of deaths, anxiety and social disruption at the start of the pandemic.

Although she is a Democrat, Acton worked closely during that time with Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Ramaswamy, a 2024 presidential candidate and biotech billionaire, ran with the endorsement of President Donald Trump. The Associated Press declared Acton the winner at 10:49 p.m. EST.

Sen. Jon Ossoff calls Democratic wins a rebuke of Trump
Speaking to a cheering crowd in Atlanta, Ossoff cast the results as a defeat for the term-limited president, entering his final two years in office.

“In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of a failed lame duck President Donald J. Trump,” Ossoff said.

He added that the country’s politics have been “small and selfish, bought by big money, unmoored from fixed moral principles, and resigned to intractable division.”

He called for healing “brokenness” in the country, not just pushing back on the president.

In sweeping language, he said the wealthy had benefited from inside information and favors while families suffered with “higher and higher” bills.

Voting rights group says Election Day voting was ‘uneventful’
As Election Day voting is wrapping up across the states, Common Cause, a voting rights group that has previously sued the Trump administration, said their volunteers at polling sites noticed few disruptions.

“It was, again, largely uneventful. As our elections should be,” Virginia Kase Solomón, the group’s president and CEO, said during a press briefing. “It is just really great to see a normal election happening.”

Common Cause directors from Arizona, California, Hawaii, North Carolina and Texas didn’t report any serious incidents at polling locations. The relatively routine issues throughout the day included weather-related delays, long lines and electioneering near polling places. Most problems were quickly resolved.

Newly elected Florida governor Byron Donalds thanks Trump in his victory speech
“I want you to hear from Florida that we are still red,” Donalds said to a crowd of cheering supporters. “Mr. President, I also want to tell you thank you for your support and thank you for being in my corner.”

Donalds also thanked outgoing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, promising to continue the work DeSantis has done over the past eight years.

Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties and ran a centrist campaign.

Democrats flip New Jersey House seat held by Republican Tom Kean
Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, has defeated two-term Rep. Tom Kean, who missed four months of votes in Washington this year as he underwent treatment for depression, a diagnosis he did not disclose until his return.

Kean represents a battleground district that includes Trump’s Bedminster golf club. His great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father is the former two-term Gov. Tom Kean Sr.

The seat has changed hands in the two most recent midterm election cycles, so it was automatically viewed as a competitive race going into this year.

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz says Florida Republican gerrymandering backfired
Republicans tried to tilt four more House seats to the GOP in Trump’s adopted home state. Moskowitz was among their targets, but the Democratic congressman decided to run anyway in one of the redrawn districts.

“I’ve worked across the aisle. I’ve delivered results for my community, and they spent $26 million trying to beat me,” he said after his victory in Florida’s 25th District. “They lit that money on fire tonight.”

Moskowitz said voters in his new district, like those nationwide, were most concerned about the economy and their ability to afford a good quality of life. But he said the redistricting and concerns about Trump’s business dealings angered voters, too.

He said Democrats, should they control Capitol Hill in January, must use their power to address affordability but also to hold the Trump administration accountable.

Abdul El-Sayed’s supporters rally in downtown Detroit
The crowd at a watch party hosted by the state’s Democratic Party listened to music spun by a DJ underneath colorful lights as they watched election results roll in from around the U.S.

Democratic leaders in the state, including Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, spoke from a podium flanked by American and Michigan flags.

Attendee Sarah Karim came from Seattle to canvass for El-Sayed, who is friends with her husband after they attended the University of Michigan together, she said.

“This race also represents something really powerful nationwide,” Karim said. “We feel the effect of it in the Pacific Northwest because of what Abdul is representing.”

Energy buzzes through House Democrats’ election watch party
Democratic volunteers and staff are crowding the room for an election night watch party in Washington.

Cheers erupt when Democratic candidates for House, Senate and gubernatorial races flash on the TV screens.

“America is alive and well!” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on social media.

Democrat Juliana Stratton vows to fight for progressive agenda as Illinois senator
Stratton, the current lieutenant governor, told supporters at her victory party that she “won’t be sitting back and listening quietly when I get to Washington.”

Stratton says she will fight “loudly” for affordable healthcare, reproductive freedom, workers’ rights, voting rights and for working families.

“Working families have been left to pick up the tab for the wealthy and well-connected while the crook in the Oval Office enriches himself and his allies,” she said.

Stratton supports Medicare for all, a $25 minimum wage and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Stratton defeated Republican Don Tracy, the former state Republican Party chair. She’s replacing retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.

Maryland voters pass Democratic-backed redistricting amendment
A constitutional amendment passed Tuesday could pave the way for Democratic lawmakers to redraw Maryland’s congressional districts ahead of the 2028 election.

Supporters of the amendment touted it as a way to fight back against Trump’s push to reshape U.S. House districts in Republican-led states to the party’s advantage. Democratic former President Barack Obama was among those backing the ballot measure.

The amendment undercuts a 2022 court ruling that struck down a previous Democratic redistricting plan as “extreme partisan gerrymandering.” The judge in that case said a constitutional provision requiring compact districts that respect “natural boundaries” applied to congressional districts.

The newly approved amendment applies those parameters only to state legislative districts — allowing greater leeway to manipulate the boundaries for U.S. House districts.

Moody calls her Senate win in Florida a victory of freedom over socialism
In a victory speech, the Republican noted that “throughout this campaign, I said that this election would come down to freedom versus socialism. Well, Florida chose freedom.”

She added, “We are the beating heart of freedom, not only for the United States of America, but indeed the rest of the world.”

Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon to hang on to the job she was first appointed to in 2025, when Marco Rubio was chosen to be Trump’s secretary of state.

Nixon is a longtime labor organizer who recently joined the Democratic Socialists of America. She championed policies like universal healthcare and childcare and has been an outspoken critic of U.S. foreign policy and the war in Gaza.

Democrat Keisha Bottoms wins election for governor in Georgia
Bottoms is the first Black woman elected governor of any state. She also is the first former Atlanta mayor to be elected Georgia governor and the first Democrat to win the state’s highest office since 1998. Bottoms previously worked in President Joe Biden’s administration.

She defeated Republican Rick Jackson, a healthcare tycoon who tapped his personal fortune for his campaign.

Democrats flip longtime target North Carolina
Roy Cooper won decisively, holding a double-digit lead in the Senate race at the time of the call. Cooper expanded on his margins in his two gubernatorial victories. He won by 0.2 and 4.5 percentage points in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

Democrats had targeted the seat after Trump won the state by less than four points in each of the last three presidential elections.

Abortion rights amendment passes in Virginia
Voters have approved a ballot measure that creates a “ fundamental right to reproductive freedom ” in the Virginia Constitution.

The amendment passed Tuesday ensures abortions can occur during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. It allows government regulations during the third trimester while still ensuring that abortions can be carried out to protect the life and health of pregnant women. The amendment also creates a right to contraception and fertility care, among other things.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a nationwide right to abortion in 2022, opening the way for states to create their own policies. Since then, voters in more than one-fifth of the states have passed ballot measures protecting abortion rights.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani says Democrats’ work begins now
“Together we have an opportunity, my friends, to prove that Democrats can deliver. To provide an alternative to the hollow promises and the lasting betrayals of the right,” he said at an election watch party in Manhattan.

Mamdani, who took office this year, was on stage delivering a speech just as AP called the New York governor’s race for Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“The work that we began here on the streets of New York City is being carried forward tonight all across our country,” he said.

Capito is first West Virginia Republican elected to 3 straight US Senate terms in more than a century
Shelley Moore Capito said she was humbled after becoming the first West Virginia Republican to be elected to three consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate in more than a century.

“From the beginning, this campaign has been focused on listening to West Virginians about the concerns most important to them and coming together to bring those voices to Washington,” Capito said in a statement. “That mission will never change, and I am more energized than ever to continue delivering for our state.”

Capito defeated Democrat Rachel Fetty Anderson.

Trump watches election returns from the White House
Trump gathered with political advisers and members of his Cabinet in the East Room of the White House to watch election returns come in, the White House said.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said earlier Tuesday that he planned to attend the reception. Burgum was with the president when he delivered his final message to voters from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where Trump spoke at length on the renovation work he and Burgum have completed in the nation’s capital.

Earlier in the evening, Trump complained on Truth Social about Fox News, saying the network was spending “too much time” covering Democrats.

North Carolina’s Roy Cooper nods to Democratic flip of Senate seat
The former two-term governor told cheering supporters that he spoke to Republican Michael Whatley and said his opponent acknowledged the result.

“Thank you for everything you did to take this United States Senate seat back for the people of North Carolina,” Cooper said.

He also promised to be an “independent voice” for the state.

Cooper said the campaign was about standing up for people who felt crushed by Trump’s tariffs and the cost of fuel and fertilizer “because of this never-ending war.”

Democrats score their first US House flip in North Carolina
Democrats have picked up their first Republican-held House seat of the night in western North Carolina.

Democrat Jamie Ager has won an open seat resulting from the retirement of Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who was censured by the House this year for engaging in inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers in his office.

Democrats were hoping Ager’s farming background would appeal to rural voters in the district. He defeated Republican Jennifer Balkcom, a state legislator.

JB Pritzker says his reelection as Illinois governor shows hope is winning out over fear
“It looks like maybe, just maybe, something is stirring in the conscience of America,” Pritzker told his supporters after winning election to a third term. He’s the first Democrat elected to a third term as governor in Illinois.

Pritzker is considered a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2028.

“We climbed one mountain tonight,” Pritzker said. “But we are sitting at the base of another.”

Pritzker defeated Republican Darren Bailey, a former state lawmaker.

Mike Collins says result not ‘what we wanted’
The Republican acknowledged the result in the Georgia Senate race in a brief speech to his supporters.

“The results may not be what we wanted tonight, but y’all, that’s OK. I’m going to continue to serve,” he said.

Collins, a current House member, praised Trump, calling it an honor and privilege to serve under him.

Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won the seat.

Cooper supporters cheer former governor’s Senate win
Supporters erupted into cheers, hugs and chants when they learned the former governor had won election to the U.S. Senate representing North Carolina.

A crowd gathered in a downtown Raleigh hotel ballroom Tuesday night, where music was thumping and CNN played on a big screen. When the news of Cooper’s victory appeared, the crowd exploded and began chanting, “Cooper! Cooper!”

Anderson Clayton, who leads North Carolina’s Democratic Party, said Cooper’s decades in elected office made him an especially strong candidate.

“He’s woven into the fabric of North Carolina,” she said.

By electing Cooper, North Carolina voters chose “competence over chaos,” Democratic Gov. Josh Stein said in a speech shortly after the race was called.

Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley.

Sununu says ‘it’s not our night’
The Republican says he had a great message and vision but came up short in his New Hampshire Senate race against Democrat Chris Pappas.

“This has been an incredible campaign, but it is not our night. I called Chris to congratulate him a few minutes ago. He ran a good race. More importantly, we ran a good race,” John E. Sununu told supporters.

Pappas, who is in his fourth term in the U.S. House, will replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a three-term Democrat who ousted Sununu in 2008.

Pappas says ‘New Hampshire showed up today’
Pappas says his U.S. Senate victory in New Hampshire is proof that Washington needs a “new generation at the table to fix things.”

“This has been a long campaign against the backdrop of chaos, corruption and costs coming out of Washington,” Pappas told supporters in Manchester. “New Hampshire showed up today, you spoke up today, you said in a resounding voice that New Hampshire needs a course correction. Washington needs a new generation at the table to fix things.”

Pappas’ win blocks a path for GOP Senate gains
Democrat Chris Pappas in New Hampshire has blocked an opportunity for Republicans to gain a seat as they try to hold onto their Senate majority.

Pappas, a four-term House member, had called his Republican opponent John Sununu, a former U.S. senator, “the wrong Sununu” in a reference to the popular former Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. Republicans thought the race could work as a check against potential Democratic gains.

With New Hampshire and Georgia staying in Democratic hands, Republicans now look to Michigan for a pickup, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is competing with Republican Mike Rogers.

Pappas is also the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Jon Ossoff supporters erupt in cheers
Ossoff’s supporters who’d gathered Tuesday night at a downtown Atlanta hotel erupted in cheers, hugged and kissed when television screens around the room showed Ossoff had won.

Ossoff is expected to address the crowd later in the evening.

Many of the supporters said Ossoff represented an important generational shift for their party.

“He’s bringing in a lot of young voters and that is what we need right now to get the young voters on the right way of life, showing them which way to go,” said Jennifer Gray, 63, a retired IRS employee. “Ossoff, he talks to them. And because he’s younger, they’re listening to him.”

Young voters move away from GOP, many voters driven by opposition to Trump: Early election takeaways
Voters are in the mood for change, according to The AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters say they feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the country today. Young voters in particular appear to have shifted dramatically away from the GOP after Trump made inroads with this group in 2024.

The AP Voter Poll indicates a substantial shift in young people moving away from Republicans. Voters under 30 were about evenly split between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris two years ago. But in this election, about 7 in 10 voters in that same age group nationally say they supported the Democratic House candidate in their area.

Young voters only make up about 10% of the electorate, according to the poll, which limits the impact of the shift. But it nonetheless makes it harder for the GOP to win.

Republicans once saw Georgia seat as within reach, until Ossoff surged
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff’s reelection blocks a targeted effort by Republicans to pick up a Senate seat.

The Democrat’s victory over Republican Mike Collins is a notable turnabout from last year, when Republicans were optimistic about the state, given that Trump carried it narrowly in the 2024 presidential race.

Instead, Ossoff dominated in fundraising throughout the campaign. Republican groups supporting Collins pulled back their spending in mid-October, signaling the race was likely lost.

Democrats’ hope of gaining the majority is premised on holding seats in Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire.

What to watch for after polls close at 8 pm ET
The 8 p.m. hour is primetime on election night, with polls fully or partially closing in almost half the states, including key states like Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Polls close at 8:30 p.m. in Arkansas.

Florida tends to have one of the faster counts in this time slot, since results in most of the state start releasing in the 7 p.m. hour. In 2024, the Florida vote count was 90% complete by 8:07 p.m.

The 2024 vote counts in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reached the halfway mark at 10:12 p.m. They reached 90% at 12:48 a.m. in Pennsylvania and 1:42 a.m. in New Hampshire. Maine didn’t reach the halfway mark in 2024 until 12:54 a.m.

Polls in almost all of Michigan and Texas close at 8 p.m., including in the states’ most competitive congressional districts, but no statewide winners will be declared until the final polls have closed at 9 p.m.

Some key contests to watch in this hour are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Maine and New Hampshire; gubernatorial races in Florida and Pennsylvania; and U.S. House races in Alabama, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Black voter turnout appears robust on Election Day, voter coalition says
LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter, said turnout in some states seemed to rival that of 2008, when Democrat Barack Obama was running for president for the first time.

She and others said turnout appeared particularly high in Michigan and Mississippi.

Brown, speaking during a media briefing organized by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, said her organization had more than 2,000 poll observers in several states. They reported no “widescale issues” for voters, she said.

Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the coalition, said the group has extended its monitoring efforts beyond Election Day — through vote counting, certifications and even winners’ inaugurations.

“As those of us who believe that this democracy is for all people, we have to also stand in the gap,” she said.

AP Voter Poll: Voters show unhappiness with Trump’s health care policies
Most voters say Trump’s policies made the health and well-being of people in the U.S. worse.

About 2 in 10 say Trump’s policies have improved health and well-being, while 2 in 10 don’t see an impact.

Relatively few voters, about 1 in 10, say health care is the top issue facing the country.

But about half of voters say the president’s policies have made access to health care and the cost of health care worse.

Many Democratic candidates made health care a major issue in their campaigns. In Senate-battleground Michigan, Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed centered his campaign on universal health care.

About 6 in 10 voters say they want the federal government to have a larger role in getting Americans health care.

AP Voter Poll: Ohio Republican Sen. Husted seen as too loyal to Trump
Trump has repeatedly complimented Ohio Sen. Jon Husted for his record in Washington and his physical appearance.

But voters in the Senate race have worries about the former college football star’s willingness to stand up to the president.

About 6 in 10 say Husted is “too supportive” of Trump.

Meanwhile, Ohio voters are split over whether Democrat Sherrod Brown, a former senator, is “too extreme.”

AP Voter Poll: Senate voters in South Carolina have doubts about Darline Graham’s experience
After the July death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, his sister, Darline Graham, was appointed to fill the open seat, and she then chose to stand for election.

But voters do not necessarily see Darline Graham as having the same political skills as her brother.

About 6 in 10 Senate voters in South Carolina say Darline Graham does not have the right experience to serve as a senator, though most Republican voters believe she does.

Voters are divided on whether her Democratic opponent, pediatrician Annie Andrews, is “too extreme” in her views.

Civil rights group says ICE social media message intended to intimidate voters
Carmen Feliciano, vice president for policy and advocacy at the Latino civil rights group UnidosUS, criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for a social media post that said, in part: “If you vote illegally, we will find you.”

The agency posted the message on Election Day.

“This is part of a strategy we have been seeing for the last few years — intimidation and trying to block people from going out to the polls,” Feliciano said.

She noted that Latino turnout was expected to be high for the midterm elections.

Asked why the message went out, the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, issued a statement that read in part: “ONLY Americans should elect American leaders.”

Throughout the day, ICE announced arrests or charges against people suspected of voting as noncitizens in previous elections.

AP Voter Poll: In Georgia Senate race, Ossoff seen as less extreme than Collins
Only about 4 in 10 Senate voters in Georgia say Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has views that are “too extreme.”

About half, by contrast, say the views of his opponent, Republican Rep. Mike Collins, are “too extreme.”

Ossoff has accused Collins of employing staffers who are white nationalists. Trump and other Republicans have suggested that Ossoff’s perspectives on immigration and the economy are outside the American mainstream.

Key US House races to watch in Florida
A handful of key U.S. House races in Florida could offer early signs of how Democrats are performing tonight.

Democratic Reps. Darren Soto and Kathy Castor are defending their seats in the redrawn 9th and 14th Districts. Both of the districts would have favored Trump by double-digit margins in the 2024 presidential election.

The 22nd District is an open seat after Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel opted to run in the 23rd District when her district was redrawn.

What to watch for after polls close at 7 pm ET
All polls close at 7 p.m. in six states, including Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, which tend to complete almost all of their vote counting on election night.

In the 2024 general election, the vote count in all three states reached the halfway mark in the 8 p.m. hour. The counts were 90% complete at 10:21 p.m. in Georgia, 11:14 p.m. in South Carolina and 12:07 a.m. in Virginia. In Georgia’s competitive presidential contest, The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 12:58 a.m.

Most Florida polls will also close at 7 p.m., including in every competitive congressional district, but no statewide winners will be declared until polls in the Central Time Zone close at 8 p.m.

Polls in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia close at 7:30 p.m. All three states also count votes relatively quickly, reaching the halfway point at around 9 p.m. in 2024 and about 90% in the 11 p.m. hour. The AP declared a winner in Ohio’s competitive 2024 U.S. Senate race at 11:27 p.m.

Some key contests to watch in this hour are U.S. Senate races in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio; gubernatorial races in Georgia and Ohio; and U.S. House races in Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.

AP Voter Poll: About half of voters say Trump has gone too far on immigration enforcement
Most voters say they’re not fans of the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdowns on immigration.

About 6 in 10 “somewhat” or “strongly” disapprove of how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is handling its responsibilities.

Roughly 7 in 10 voters say immigration enforcement was a “crucial” or “major” factor in their vote for Congress. Although under half, about 4 in 10, say it was “crucial.”

Trump made closing the U.S.-Mexico border to illegal border crossings a priority, but his deployment of federal officers to arrest and deport immigrants stirred protests that led to the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.

About 6 in 10 voters say the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions have gone too far, while about 2 in 10 say they haven’t gone far enough. About 2 in 10 say his policies are about right.

Flooding strands voters on the Navajo Nation
Hundreds of voters in Rock Point, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation were unable to reach the polls Tuesday as flooding had closed a major bridge and washed out dirt roads, a tribal official said.

On a typical Election Day, the chapter house parking lot would be buzzing with voters, candidates and pop-up food stalls.

“Unfortunately, today that parking lot is underwater,” said Valinda Shirley, vice president of the Rock Point Chapter, the local seat of tribal government.

Officials moved the polling place across the street to an administration building, but many residents remained stranded.

“I have people that are still texting me asking how I can get them out so they can vote,” Shirley said Tuesday afternoon.

The flooding is keeping those residents from casting ballots in both the U.S. midterms and races for Navajo Nation president and council delegates.

Jeffries says House Democrats are ready to deliver the ‘best version’ of America
Jeffries, who’s in line to make history as the first Black speaker of the House if Democrats seize control and elect him to the job, said House Democrats don’t work for any president.

“We work for all of you, the American people, and we’re committed to delivering an America that’s the best version of herself,” he said.

He told the volunteers that Democrats are “committed to ending this national nightmare, fighting to make this country affordable” and “continuing our country’s long, necessary and majestic march toward a more perfect union.”

He urged them on: “Let’s go win this thing.”

AP Voter Poll: Capitalism viewed more positively than socialism
More than half of voters strongly or somewhat favor the free market principles of capitalism.

Only about 3 in 10 feel similarly positive about socialism, in which the government plays a greater role in economic activity.

Trump and other Republicans campaigned on the idea that many Democratic candidates with their plans for universal healthcare were socialist. Democrats countered that the Trump administration had taken ownership stakes in dozens of private companies.

AP Voter Poll shows unhappiness with US military action in Iran
Voters are unhappy with Trump’s war with Iran.

About 6 in 10 voters say the U.S. made the “wrong decision” in taking military action against Iran. The cost of the unpopular war has risen to more than $47.1 billion, according to a recent estimate from the Pentagon.

Roughly one-third of voters say the Iran war was a “crucial” factor in their vote for Congress, which is lower than the share of those who expressed concern over the cost of living and government corruption.

Trump has asserted that higher gas and energy prices resulting from conflict will drop.

AP Voter Poll: Voters express severe concerns about inflation
About 8 in 10 voters say inflation has caused a “severe” or “moderate” financial hardship on their households.

The drag caused by prices rising faster than wages over the past year has made it harder for many voters to afford basic essentials such as gasoline, groceries and their utilities.

The persistent concern is a carryover from the 2024 presidential election when voters specifically tasked Trump to solve the problem, but inflation is now higher than it was when he returned to the White House.

More than 8 in 10 voters say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the cost of gas, groceries, utilities and healthcare.

Jeffries says Democrats ‘on the brink’ of taking back the House
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries popped by to rally and thank volunteers at a phone bank in Washington for battleground House candidates.

“We’re on the brink of a dramatic change of direction in this country,” Jeffries said.

“We’re on the brink of Democrats taking back control of the House of Representatives.”

He said a Democratic win would be a victory for Americans.

“We’re going to deliver a Congress that actually puts the American people first,” he said.

Democrats are dialing voters in an election evening push for the House
House Democrats have opened a phone bank in Washington with dozens of volunteers calling voters in key House races across the country before polls close.

They’re encouraging voters to cast ballots as Democrats work to wrest control of the House from Republicans.

The AP Voter Poll: Most voters are dissatisfied or angry with the country’s direction
Voters overwhelmingly feel frustrated with the way things are going in the U.S. today, according to The AP Voter Poll, which points to a midterm electorate that is deeply unhappy with the country’s direction and pessimistic about the future.

About three-quarters of voters say they feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the country’s current trajectory. Only about one-quarter feel “satisfied” or “enthusiastic.” Dissatisfaction was particularly high in blue states like California and Massachusetts, but even in deep-red states, a majority of voters were at least “dissatisfied.”

Voters are also displeased with the condition of the economy, with roughly three-quarters saying it is “not so good” or “poor.” That’s in line with what U.S. adults have said in recent months in AP-NORC polling.

The AP Voter Poll: The economy and the state of democracy are voters’ top issues
Voters say the economy and the state of democracy are the top issues facing the country, with high costs and government corruption weighing heavily on many Americans’ minds as they cast a ballot in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

About 4 in 10 U.S. voters nationally say the economy is the most important issue facing the country, as most express concern about gas prices and the cost of groceries. About 3 in 10 say the state of democracy is the top issue. Only about 1 in 10 say the same about immigration or health care, and few name foreign policy or crime.

Roughly half of U.S. voters say government corruption and the cost of living are “crucial” to their vote for Congress, much higher than the share who say that about immigration enforcement policies, the war in Iran or AI data centers.

House races to watch: Districts that flipped in 2024
The handful of House members who flipped the toughest seats in 2024 all face challenging races again this year. Can they avoid a sophomore slump?

Most of these districts flipped to the GOP in 2024, riding Trump’s coattails as he clinched a second term. The good news for these Republicans is that it’s almost always easier to win a seat that you already represent. The bad news is that many of them won their seats by tiny margins and are facing a much tougher national environment this time around.

See other House races to watch in the AP’s guide to battleground congressional districts here.

The AP Voter Poll: Most voters believe Trump’s policies have harmed the US economy
Relatively few voters have positive things to say about Trump’s economic leadership.

About two-thirds of U.S. midterm voters say Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the U.S., while only about 3 in 10 say they’ve improved things. Similarly, about two-thirds of voters said Trump’s tariff policies have hurt the national economy.

Views of Trump’s priorities more broadly — and his capabilities as a leader — are also mostly negative. More than half of voters say Trump is not a strong leader, does not fight for people like them, does not have the right priorities and does not have the mental capability to serve effectively as president.

About 6 in 10 voters said Trump places a higher priority on his own personal interests than the country’s interests, while about 4 in 10 said he puts more weight on the country’s interests.

DOJ escalates criminal investigation of Alaska Senate candidate
The Trump administration notified prominent Democratic attorney Marc Elias and others that they may be targets of the inquiry, which focuses on a Senate candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent.

That’s according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Trump’s DOJ is investigating retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan’s decision to run for Senate, which the president says will confuse voters because he shares a first and last name with Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan. The New York Times reported that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan.

“This administration has repeatedly weaponized the DOJ against the President’s political enemies despite zero evidence of wrongdoing, and we are the latest targets,” Elias said in a statement Tuesday.

The AP Voter Poll: Voters want Congress to impose more checks on an unpopular president
Most voters want to see Congress provide more checks and balances on the presidency and disapprove of how Congress is handling its job.

The AP Voter Poll shows roughly 7 in 10 voters say Congress is doing “not enough” to provide checks and balances on the presidency. Only about 2 in 10 say it’s doing “about the right amount,” and about 1 in 10 say Congress is doing “too much.”

The survey reflects deep unhappiness with the president and Congress. About 6 in 10 voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the presidency, while about three-quarters of voters disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job.

Cost of living, corruption top issues and voters deeply unhappy with Trump: Early election takeaways
Voters are in the mood for change, according to the AP Voter Poll, which found that roughly three-quarters of voters say they feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the country today. Most appear to blame the Trump administration for high costs. About 6 in 10 say higher-than-usual prices are “more because of Trump’s policies” rather than “more because of factors outside Trump’s control.”

Additionally, about 70% of voters want Congress to provide more checks and balances on the presidency.

The AP Voter Poll, an expansive survey of the electorate, suggests most are deeply unhappy with Trump, with roughly 6 in 10 saying they disapprove of how he’s handling the presidency.

About 4 in 10 say the economy is the most important issue facing the country, while 3 in 10 say the most important issue is democracy, according to the poll, well above the number who said the same about crime, health care and immigration.