Election night 2026: Poll closing times and what to watch, hour by hour

Republicans are at risk of losing control of Congress. Democrats sense momentum that goes beyond the anti-incumbent mood typical of a midterm year. The results that come in after polls close Tuesday will help determine what President Donald Trump’s final two years in the White House look like.

Trump looms large over many of this year’s contests, especially after he and his party used a midterm convention in September to focus national attention on him. Democrats, who are in the minority in both chambers of Congress, are well positioned to win back the House. Their path to flipping the Senate is more complicated.

Republicans hold the House by just a few seats and the Senate by a more comfortable 53-47 margin. The size of Democrats’ gains, and how much power they will wield for the rest of Trump’s term, depends on how they fare in red states and in congressional districts Trump won. Here’s what to watch as polls close.

7 p.m. Eastern: Last polls close in six states

Voting ends in Georgia and South Carolina, both home to closely watched Senate races. Competitive House races in Kentucky, where some polls start closing at 6 p.m., and Virginia should also offer early, though far from definitive, clues about whether Democrats can compete in parts of the country Trump won.

In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is well positioned to win re-election despite running in a state Trump carried two years ago. His Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins, was seen as a problematic nominee for the GOP even before he won the primary.

In South Carolina, Republicans are working to elect Sen. Darline Graham to a full term. She was appointed to the seat after her brother’s death this summer. The GOP has been paying closer attention to the race lately, a sign it may be tighter than the party would like.

7:30 p.m. Eastern: Last polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia

North Carolina offers Democrats their best opportunity anywhere to flip a Republican-held Senate seat. Democrats are also defending a House seat reshaped by a Republican gerrymander and trying to flip a district in the western part of the state.

In Ohio, Democrats have a clear shot at winning a Senate seat, the governor’s race and they could also prevail in tough House races.

8 p.m. Eastern: Last polls close in 16 states

The 8 p.m. wave includes Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins is seeking a sixth term in a blue state that has elected her five times.

In Pennsylvania, a presidential battleground, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s showing in his re-election race could be instrumental in helping his party flip three House seats. A strong result would also set him up for a potential White House run.

Republican redraws of Democratic-held House districts in Alabama, Tennessee and Florida will also be tested.

In deep-red Missouri, voters will decide high-profile ballot measures. One asks whether future elections should use a Republican-drawn congressional map that targets a Democratic-held district around Kansas City. Another would restrict abortion access.

9 p.m. Eastern: Last polls close in 15 states

By 9 p.m., polls will have closed in some of the cycle’s most consequential states.

Earlier in the cycle, the Senate majority looked out of reach for Democrats. Now they see surprising paths to winning it back, though every one of those paths depends heavily on victories in states Trump won.

Republicans’ majority could hinge on how the party fares in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas. Democrats, meanwhile, are working to defend seats they already hold in Michigan and Minnesota. All six states also have races for governor, which add complicated state and local dynamics to the mix.

The rest of the night

The final polls close in Montana, Nevada and Utah at 10 p.m. Eastern and in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington at 11 p.m. Voting ends in Hawaii at midnight and in Alaska at 1 a.m.

Alaska has a competitive Senate race already facing legal scrutiny where ranked choice voting is in play. That means the state could have a major say in who holds power on Capitol Hill, even if the results take a while to sort out.

The post Election night 2026: Poll closing times and what to watch, hour by hour appeared first on MS NOW.

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