Americans are casting ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, with control of both the House and the Senate at stake, according to BBC and NBC News live coverage. Polls opened Tuesday as voters decide thousands of local, state and federal races across the country.
The outcome will shape the final stretch of Donald Trump's presidency. BBC reports that the results are widely seen as a test of his political influence, with forecasts of a strong Democratic showing raising questions about his legacy.
Why it matters
Midterm elections typically punish the party holding the White House, and Trump has acknowledged that historical pattern during the campaign, according to BBC. A poor Republican result would limit his room to legislate in his remaining time in office and could reshape the balance of power in Washington.
The races have also become a measure of how far Trump's personal appeal can carry other candidates. BBC describes his effort to frame the elections around himself as an unusual strategy, one that turns thousands of separate contests into a single national verdict.
A plea to "pretend I'm on the ballot"
According to BBC, Trump has made the same request at nearly every campaign rally during the weeks and months of midterm campaigning: "Pretend I'm on the ballot."
The line reflects his hope for a repeat of the 2024 presidential election, when, per BBC, voter loyalty to Trump and dissatisfaction with then-President Joe Biden and the Democrats returned him to the White House and gave Republicans control of Congress.
Trump is not on the ballot this year, and BBC notes that his career in formal politics will end when his term does. Even so, he has worked to nationalise races that are traditionally fought on local and state issues, betting that enthusiasm for him personally will lift Republican candidates.
Control of Congress at stake
NBC News is covering the midterms as a battle for House and Senate control, while Al Jazeera is publishing live results in maps and charts. BBC and other outlets are running rolling updates as returns come in.
Coverage from Inquirer.net frames the vote as one that could upend Trump's presidency, and Yahoo reports that forecasts of a Democratic wave have put his legacy on the line. Those characterisations come from the outlets themselves; the results will not be known until votes are counted.
What to watch: returns for House and Senate races, and whether turnout bears out Trump's bet that his supporters will show up for candidates who are not him.
