Midterm Elections: What They Are and What They’re For

Midterm elections are the federal elections held two years into a president's four-year term. Their purpose comes straight from how the Constitution built Congress. Article I gives House members two-year terms, so the whole chamber answers to voters every other year. It gives senators six-year terms staggered in thirds, so part of the Senate turns over every two years while the rest provides continuity. Presidential terms run four years. The elections that fall between presidential races are the midterms.

That design gives midterms four jobs:

• Keep the House accountable. The framers wanted the chamber closest to the people to face them often. James Madison defended two-year terms in Federalist No. 52 on exactly those grounds.
• Check the president. Voters can strengthen a president's hand in Congress or hand one or both chambers to the opposition, which then controls what bills reach the president's desk and which investigations proceed.
• Refresh the Senate gradually. About a third of senators face voters, so the Senate can shift without ever being replaced all at once.
• Elect state leaders. Most states also choose governors, legislators and other state officials, whose decisions on election rules and district maps shape future federal races.

In short, the purpose of the 2026 midterms is to let voters decide which party controls Congress for the last two years of the current presidential term.

• All 435 House seats. Every representative's term ends January 3, 2027, whether or not they run again.
• 35 Senate seats. That is the 33 regularly scheduled Class II seats plus 2 special elections in Florida and Ohio, for the seats Marco Rubio and JD Vance left to join the administration. Republicans hold 22 of the seats on the ballot and Democrats hold 13.
• State offices. Most states also elect governors, legislators and other officials. Check your state's ballot through its election office or vote.gov.

Control of each chamber decides who sets its agenda, chairs its committees and decides which bills get a vote. As of October 19, 2026, the House has 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, plus 1 independent, with 2 seats vacant. A majority takes 218 seats, so Democrats would need to net 4 seats from today's breakdown to take control from Republicans.

The Senate has 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats and independents who caucus with them. Counting the seats that are not up this year, Democrats need to win 17 of the 35 races for 51 seats. Republicans need 19 for 50, which is enough because the Vice President breaks a 50–50 tie.

The majority-math pages break down each side's path race by race:

• How Democrats could win the House and how Republicans could hold it
• How Democrats could win the Senate and how Republicans could hold it

The president's party gained House seats only 3 times: 1934, 1998, 2002. The largest loss was −72 seats in 1938. The Senate pattern is weaker, because only about a third of seats are up and which states are on the map varies a lot from cycle to cycle. The pattern describes the past. It does not predict any single race.

Both kinds of general election fall on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of an even year, and both put all 435 House seats and about a third of the Senate on the ballot. The difference is the presidency. With no presidential race at the top of the ticket, midterm turnout is typically much lower, and congressional races draw more of voters' attention. Presidential elections were held in 2024 and come next in 2028. Midterms fall between them, in 2026 and then 2030.

Make a plan to vote, verify your registration before your state's deadline, and check when early voting opens in your state. You can see who represents you now on the interactive map or on your state's delegation page.