2026 midterms: Democrats Republicans battle for Senate, House control

If you're still analyzing the 2024 election results, it's time to give up.

2026 is an election year.

Welcome to midterm elections.

Healthcare. Economy. “One big beautiful bill.” All of this is important as voters head to the polls this fall.

Democrats received kitchen table training this year. They hope voters will forget about the culture wars and feel buyer's remorse, perhaps flipping the House—and even the Senate.

A redistricting fight is brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“They simply don’t have enough money in their pockets to pay their bills and buy the medications they need,” the Senate Minority Leader said. Chuck SchumerD.N.Y. “Costs are skyrocketing. And in 2026, you will hear from us about costs again and again.”

However, Republicans are optimistic about maintaining control of the Senate.

“I think you're in for a great year in 2026. I mean, we're encouraged by the outlook for the economy,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Bret Baier.

But Thune is careful.

“Usually in midterm elections there are obstacles,” Thune said. “You can’t convince people of something they don’t feel.”

The resignations of Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., could spell trouble for Democrats. these places. Take, for example, why Republicans are spending so much time criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., as well as the state's scandal over Social Security and child care issues. This gives optimism that Republicans can win the Gopher State.

“President Trump was very close in Minnesota. It's a four-point race. We know that with the right candidate, we will succeed,” said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., head of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign (NRSC), to his colleague Paul Steinhauser.

Republicans are hoping Democrats will nominate controversial candidates.

HERE ARE THE KEY 2026 HOUSE AND SENATE RACES THAT COULD DECIDE CONGRESSIONAL CONTROL

“If I didn't know better, I'd say some of these people are Republican breeders. They're clearly from the nutty wing of the Democratic Party,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, said of some Democratic Senate candidates.

Republicans support radioactive Rep. Jasmine Crockett. D-Texasto secure a Democratic victory over more moderate Democrat James Talarico – potentially facing Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, in the Texas Senate election.

“They tell us Texas is red. They are lying. We are not,” Crockett said. “You've never tried like JC.”

Graham Platner is a populist Democrat from Maine. He hopes to meet with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me. — if he can defeat Gov. Janet Mills in the primary. Platner has a history of inflammatory posts online.

“The Democratic candidate for the Maine Senate is calling me a Nazi, and that's pretty rich coming from a guy who literally has a Nazi tattoo on his chest,” he said. Vice President J.D. Vance.

Platner claims that he did not know the symbolism of the tattoo at the time. Since then he hid it.

His. Jon Ossoff D-Ga.perhaps the most vulnerable Democrat facing re-election this cycle. Ossoff won the runoff as President Trump challenged the 2020 Georgia election results. Republicans intend to target Ossoff by voting against reopening the government during the shutdown.

But Democrats think they can take some seats away from the GOP.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is retiring. The Tar Heel State may represent the best overall opportunity for Democrats.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is expected to meet with former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley in the burner.

And Democrats believe former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, can return to Washington by winning the state election. another Senate seat this fall.

Brown will likely face Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Husted to the Senate to succeed Vance when he left the Senate to become vice president. A former lieutenant governor of Ohio, Husted has never campaigned for a statewide Senate seat.

The Democratic surge in Tennessee brings new uncertainty to the GOP's 2026 plan.

That's why Democrats are focused on your wallet and health care in 2026.

“We're going to get there by getting it done in some legislation, or we're going to get it done by going through the midterm elections and winning,” predicted Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat.

And the biggest factor may be who's not on the ballot this year: President Donald Trump. Republicans saw examples of this in 2018 and 2022. Voters often view midterm elections as a presidential report card.

Perhaps this works against Republicans who are trying to stay in power in House. In 2026, history is stacked against the Republican Party. The president's party typically loses about 26 seats in the first midterm. But House Republicans are eager to build on their gains.

“So far, House Republicans have passed 413 bills. This year, we codified 68 of President Trump's “America First” executive orders,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana. “We look forward to continuing all this work as we return in 2026 and enter the monumental midterm election cycle.

Epic is right.

Republicans tried to create a political heat shield to defeat the midterm regulations. Republicans carved out new GOP-friendly districts in Texas and Missouri. But these areas are a lighter shade of red. This could weaken the GOP base vote as these counties are battleground states.

“We have to make sure we have an advantage. This is a big deal and we have to be politically smart. And I hate to say it, for a change,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, RN.J. Fox News channel reported this.

Democrats opposed Republican redistricting maneuvers their own. Especially in California.

“Our focus is on swing districts, purple districts across the country,” said Rep. Susan DelBene, D-Wash., head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). “That's why we've expanded our offensive capability map.”

But it's risky if Democrats nominate candidates who are too progressive for certain seats.

Democrats are planning investigations and subpoenas of the Trump administration if they win the House. One Democrat is eyeing the Pentagon.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“When we return House in 2026their every action will be monitored by MRI. We're going to evaluate them according to the laws of war. And they will be held accountable for violating these laws of war,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told ABC News.

But House control could depends on the Supreme Court. About 20 House seats could flip to the GOP if the High Court strikes down part of the Voting Rights Act. The law gave Democrats an advantage in many minority districts.

A ruling requiring the creation of new districts could radically upset the balance of power in this year's House elections.