U.S. States Hold High-Stakes 2026 Midterm Elections
Voters across multiple states cast ballots for governor and Congress in a series of competitive races influenced by President Donald Trump's approval ratings and policies.
The United States is conducting a series of high-stakes midterm elections across several states, with results potentially shifting the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and House. In Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany and David Crowley are competing to succeed Governor Tony Evers, with recent polling showing Crowley leading by seven points among likely voters. Republican candidates in Wisconsin, including Tiffany and Congressman Derrick Van Orden, are leaning into their ties with President Donald Trump, while Democrats are attempting to leverage the president's declining approval ratings.
In Ohio, Republican candidates conducted a final bus tour through northwest Ohio to urge voter turnout. U.S. Senator Jon Husted is running in a special Senate election against Democrat Sherrod Brown, while Vivek Ramaswamy challenges Amy Acton for governor. Other critical contests are occurring in Pennsylvania, where Governor Josh Shapiro seeks re-election, and California, where voters are choosing between Xavier Becerra and Stephen Hilton for governor. California voters are also deciding on Proposition 40, a proposed tax on billionaires to fund healthcare.
Legal tensions have emerged in California as the Trump administration challenged the processing of 20,000 ballots it claims were cast by noncitizens. While a district court initially rejected the request to block these ballots, a special master has been appointed to evaluate the claims. Meanwhile, voters in Nebraska, Maine, Virginia, and Iowa are also casting ballots for various state and federal offices, focusing on issues such as the cost of living, tariffs, and reproductive rights.
