US Midterms: 57 Million Early Votes Cast as Polls Open
Voters across five states have begun casting ballots for all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats in Tuesday’s election.
By Tariq Carter ·
More than 57 million Americans have already voted early in the 2026 midterm elections, with polling locations now open in Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, and Kentucky. Other states will begin in-person voting later on Tuesday.
The election contests all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Voters in 36 states will also choose governors. Early voting data shows heavy turnout in major battleground states, including Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas.
Republicans currently hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, while Democrats and allied independents hold 47 seats. In the House, Republicans maintain a four-seat majority. Democrats have campaigned on addressing the cost-of-living crisis and ending the war with Iran. Their campaign strategy aims for historic gains in both chambers.
Republican candidates are banking on the loyalty of conservative voters and a distrust of progressive politics. This approach seeks to counter historical trends that typically result in midterm losses for the party of the sitting president, despite President Trump’s low approval ratings.
A notable development occurred on Sunday when Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers. Stevens, who lost Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August, backed Rogers over the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed.
Source: Al Jazeera
