Voting is under way across the United States in the 2026 midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake. Republicans currently hold both chambers, and every one of the 435 House seats is up, along with more than a third of the 100 Senate seats and 36 governorships, according to Sky TG24.
Polling stations opened progressively across the country. Sky TG24 reports that voting began in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, as well as in central-time areas of Kansas and in parts of South Dakota and Texas that follow the Rocky Mountains time zone. ANSA reported long queues at polling places in Georgia, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Why it matters
For many voters and commentators, the contest is being treated as a verdict on Donald Trump's presidency rather than a routine midterm. Sky TG24 frames the election that way, and the former president campaigned on the same premise. At his final rally in Washington, Trump called this "the most important midterm in history" and warned supporters that "we won't let them take away the golden age," adding that the aim was to "stop jihadists and communists," according to Sky TG24.
The outcome will determine whether Trump governs with a friendly legislature or a hostile one for the remainder of his term.
Democrats ahead in the polls
Sky TG24 reports that Democrats lead in all published surveys, including in the key states that will decide the Senate. The party's figures have pressed that advantage in the final hours. Bernie Sanders urged Americans to turn out and hand the Democrats both chambers, writing on X that voters should "call Donald Trump and his corrupt administration to account" and "put an end to Republican control of the Senate and the House of Representatives."
Trump, for his part, told Fox in an interview that "if Republicans vote, we will win by a landslide," and said he expected the results to be "better than expected." He confirmed he would follow the returns from the White House and insisted "we have everything under control." In the same interview he joked that his approval rating in Israel stands at 99 percent and that he would move there and become prime minister if Americans tired of him.
The former president also used the Fox interview to allege fraud in Alaska, where two candidates named Dan Sullivan — one Republican, one Democratic — appear on the ballot. The New York Times reported in recent days that Democrats had sought a candidate sharing the Republican's name in order to draw votes away from him. Trump called the situation "a disgrace" and "election fraud."
A Supreme Court ruling and a New York ballot
The US Supreme Court rejected a request from the Trump administration to force California to set aside 20,000 postal ballots on the suspicion they may have been sent to non-citizens, Sky TG24 reports.
In New York, voters are also deciding five proposals put forward by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Four concern streamlining construction bureaucracy in ways that would make it easier to build new housing; the fifth calls for drafting a plan to boost the so-called "rainy day fund," created to cover emergencies or sudden drops in tax revenue. The New York Times notes that many of the mayor's allies back the measures, particularly those simplifying the building sector, while Republicans oppose all five.
Women could make history in several states
CNN reports that this election could mark a turning point for women's representation in US politics, with candidates in Georgia, Ohio, Minnesota and Tennessee seeking to become the first women elected to lead their states.
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, is in a tight race against Republican Rick Jackson. A win would make her not only the state's first female governor but also the first Black woman elected governor in US history. "I wake up every day as a Black woman, so it doesn't surprise me that I'm capable, qualified and up to the job," she told CNN. "But if this can mean something to other people who didn't think it was possible, then it's worth it."
Minnesota is also poised to elect its first woman governor, with Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is shown leading, facing Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth. In Tennessee, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn leads Democrat Jerri Green; a Blackburn victory would be the state's first election of a woman as governor. Ohio could join the list if Democrat Amy Acton defeats Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The state had a woman serve briefly as interim governor almost 30 years ago but has never elected one to the office.
Media mobilisation and a final Republican appeal
The New York Times has assigned more than 400 journalists, editors, data analysts, video reporters and photographers to cover the midterms. On election night alone it will have over 100 reporters across at least 30 states, with a similar number of data specialists working from its New York newsroom.
In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers defended a woman he said had "chosen the country over the party," arguing that she deserved congratulations while Democrats were "furious and trying to drive her out of the party," according to the reporting.
Sky TG24 is broadcasting a special programme from 22:30 Italian time. Results will arrive through the night, with several governor and Senate races close enough that counting may extend beyond election night.
