Washington — The composition of Congress has changed radically 2026 midterm electionslike the Democrats decisively took control of the Senate And won dozens of seats in the House — in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest midterm routs in decades.
Exact congressional margins are not yet clear, as winners have yet to be announced in two Senate races and more than two dozen House races. They include GOP-held districts with razor-thin margins, a few Democratic seats that could go to Republicans and several races in California and other Western states that have yet to count ballots.
Here’s a look at the congressional elections that CBS News has yet to project, including the status of the results:
Senate draws
Democrats are expected to enter next year with at least 54 Senate seats, compared to 44 for Republicans. Two Senate elections have still not been called: one was long considered a battleground and the other came out of nowhere.
Alaska Senate: Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is running for re-election against Democrat Mary Peltola, a razor-thin race rocked by last-minute scandal on how another Dan Sullivan registered on the ballot. The countdown could last forever due to both outstanding ballots and Alaska ranked choice voting systemwhich allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate is the first choice of the majority of voters, the last-place candidate is eliminated and the counting process moves to a second round. Final results are not expected until 15 days after election day. Both the Sullivan and Peltola campaigns claimed they had the upper hand.
Mississippi Senate: The race between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom was not expected to be competitive, but it’s still a shot to throw away. State officials say thousands of mail-in ballots are backlogged and can legally arrive within five days of the election, and that there are an unknown number of “sworn” ballots from voters whose eligibility needs to be verified. Both Colom and Hyde-Smith predicted they would emerge victorious.
Democrats on defense
The dozens of red districts flipped by Democrats were the main news Tuesday night, but a few Republican House candidates are still trying to swim against the tide, either because of redistricting or a favorable local political makeup.
2nd district of Maine: This red, pro-Trump district is one of the best opportunities for Republicans to flip a House seat, after moderate Democratic Rep. Jared Golden’s decision not to run for reelection set the stage for a contest between former GOP Gov. Paul LePage and Democrat Matt Dunlap. Even though Dunlap conceded, Maine officials said the race would be run on a ranked-choice basis because LePage was just below the 50 percent mark. The totalization will begin on November 9.
Florida’s 9th District: It’s one of four districts that Florida Republicans tilted to the right in a pre-midterm redistricting campaign — and the only one that hasn’t yet been projected as a Democratic victory. Democratic Rep. Darren Soto is trying to avoid a challenge from Republican Dan Green.
6th district of Louisiana: This neighborhood, formerly blue-leaning and predominantly black, was redesigned after the Supreme Court overturned state maps, finding that cartographers relied too much on race and restricting the Voting Rights Act. It’s now significantly redder, but with no candidate close to a majority in the state’s “jungle” primary system, there could be a runoff next month.
GOP-held battlegrounds
Several Republican-run elections still don’t have projections, including in districts Democrats hope to flip.
Colorado’s 4th District: Firebrand Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is running against Democrat Eileen Laubacher. Boebert joined the district two years ago, after narrowly winning re-election in a more competitive district in 2022.
Florida’s 7th District: Republican Ryan Elijah is running against Democrat Bale Dalton, after Elijah defeated scandal-plagued Republican Rep. Cory Mills in a primary. The neighborhood is historically red-leaning.
Florida’s 26th District: GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart is trying to fend off a challenge from Democrat Nicole Locklin in South Florida.
Florida’s 27th District: It’s a battle between two former Miami-area news anchors — GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and Democrat Eliott Rodriguez. Salazar made waves earlier this year when she warned that President Trump’s immigration policies could alienate Latino voters.
1st District of Minnesota: Republican Rep. Brad Finstad is locked in a tight battle against Democrat Jake Johnson, after Finstad won by 17.2 points in 2024. Under state law, candidates who trail by less than 0.25 points can request a recount.
Tennessee’s 4th District: GOP Rep. Scott DesJarlais defends his seat against Democrat Victoria Broderick. It’s a red district, although it became a little less red during redistricting.
North Carolina 3rd District: GOP Rep. Greg Murphy is running against Democrat Raymond Smith. The district was made slightly bluer during last year’s redistricting, but it still favors Republicans.
North Carolina’s 5th District: GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx faces Democrat Chuck Hubbard. First elected more than 20 years ago, Foxx is the longest-serving member of the Tar Heel State’s congressional delegation, which was shaken up in the midterms as Democrats flipped several House seats and one Senate seat.
North Carolina’s 7th District: Republican Rep. David Rouzer is running against Democrat Kimberly Hardy.
North Carolina’s 10th District: Republican Rep. Pat Harrigan faces Democrat Ashley Bell.
South Carolina’s 2nd District: Longtime Republican Joe Wilson is running against Democrat Zyon Khalifa.
Arizona’s 2nd District: In a 2024 rematch, Republican Rep. Eli Crane is running against Democrat Jonathan Nez.
Please wait…
Results could take some time in some House districts, either because ballots still need to be counted or due to a runoff. In some districts in California, both candidates belong to the same party, so they have no implication on the makeup of Congress.
Alaska At-Large District: Republican Rep. Nick Begich is running against Bill Hill, a Democratic-backed independent, and a few other candidates. Remember: Alaska has ranked-choice elections, so additional tabulation may be necessary.
4th District of California: In the Napa Valley area, longtime Rep. Mike Thompson is running against businessman and fellow Democrat Eric Jones.
7th District of California: This seat was significantly changed by redistricting. Democratic Rep. Doris Matsui is running against another Democrat, Mai Vang.
14th District of California: Democrats Melissa Hernandez and Rep. Aisha Wahab are running in a district previously held by Rep. Eric Swalwellwho resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct – which he denied.
23rd District of California: Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte is running against Democrat Tessa Hodge.
40th District of California: After California’s redistricting campaign last year scrambled House districts in Southern California, incumbent Republican Reps. Ken Calvert and Young Kim are running against each other to represent parts of Orange County and the Inland Empire.
Washington’s 4th District: Republican Amanda McKinney and Democrat John Duresky are running for the district held by incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the only the remaining Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump after the January 6, 2021 riot.
Washington’s 5th District: In Eastern Washington, GOP Rep. Michael Baumgartner is running against Democrat Carmela Conroy.
5th district of Louisiana: Democrat Patricia Moore and Republican Gabe Firment are heading to a December runoff in this deeply conservative district. It is currently held by Republican Rep. Julia Letlow, who was elected to the Senate this week.
Utah’s 4th District: GOP Rep. Mike Kennedy is running for re-election against Democrat Jonny Larsen.
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