Seven states could decide Senate control
Tight margins in seven battleground states and ranked choice voting in two others mean final results may take days or weeks to emerge.
By Larissa Shah ·
The outcome of the 2026 Senate race hinges on the results of seven specific states, where margins of victory are projected to be narrow enough to determine which party holds a majority.
While control of the House of Representatives may become clear earlier due to wider voting gaps, the Senate contest is expected to remain undecided for a longer period.
Two of the critical states, Maine and Alaska, utilize ranked choice voting, a system that often delays the final certification of results until all ballots are fully counted and sorted.
In Georgia, polls closed at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is currently favored to defeat Republican Representative Mike Collins in the Senate race.
The governor’s race in Georgia is more contested, pitting billionaire Rick Jackson against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger noted that new laws require counties to report results within one hour of polls closing.
South Carolina presents another tight contest between Senate candidate Darline Graham and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews. National polls describe the race as a toss-up, though the Cook Political Report indicates a Republican advantage.
North Carolina and Ohio close their polls at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper challenges Michael Whatley for a Senate seat that Democrats have not won since 2008.
In Ohio, incumbent Senator Jon Husted faces former Senator Sherrod Brown in a deadlocked race. The governor’s race features Democrat Amy Acton against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, with recent advertising campaigns influencing voter perception.
Polls close at 8 p.m. Eastern Time in fourteen states, including Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. Florida’s redistricted House map will be tested for the first time, with seven competitive seats identified by the Cook Political Report.
Pennsylvania sees three previously toss-up House races now leaning toward Democrats. In New Hampshire, Democratic Representative Chris Pappas holds an edge over former Senator John Sununu, despite a Republican gubernatorial victory expected in the same state.
The 9 p.m. Eastern Time block includes major contests in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, and Texas. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico competes against Ken Paxton for governor, a race where early voting data may show an initial lead for Talarico.
Kansas offers another challenge for Republicans as Democrat Adam Hamilton contests the Senate seat held by Roger Marshall. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek races against Republican Ashley Hinson for an open Senate seat, while state auditor Rob Sand leads in the governor’s race.
