Michigan’s 2026 race for U.S. Senate was one of the most watched in the nation. In this photo, voters wait in line outside the Department of Elections in Detroit on Nov. 3, 2026. (Photo by Janelle D. James/Michigan Advance)
WASHINGTON — The fierce battle for control of the U.S. Senate took center stage Tuesday night as voters waited for results.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner retained his seat in Virginia, according to a race call by the Associated Press just after 7 p.m. Eastern.
Just a handful of highly competitive Senate races will determine who holds the majority in the upper chamber, with close contests in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, according to the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.
President Donald Trump’s Republican party is vying to hold on to its narrow majority in the House and maintain control in the Senate. The party currently holds 53 Senate seats.
As voters take to the polls across the country, here’s a closer look at those hotly contested races:
Alaska
Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola is up against incumbent GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan in Alaska.
Trump’s Department of Justice preemptively sued the state’s election officials to try to block them from certifying the Senate election results if Dan S. Sullivan loses by a smaller margin than the number of votes cast for Dan J. Sullivan.
A federal judge in Alaska dismissed the case Sunday, citing the federal government’s failure to explain how it had the authority to bring the case.
Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy was challenged earlier in the year in state court, and Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled in June he could remain on the ballot.
The Trump administration vowed to appeal.
The New York Times reported Oct. 28 that Democratic operatives recruited Dan J. Sullivan to be a spoiler candidate. States Newsroom has not independently verified the allegations.
Peltola denied any knowledge of the alleged scheme, according to Alaska Beacon.
Iowa
In the Hawkeye State, GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state legislator Josh Turek are battling for an open Senate seat. If elected, Turek would be the first Democratic senator to represent Iowa in more than a decade.
Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and state representative, received an early endorsement in July from former President Barack Obama. The two appeared in a campaign ad playing basketball.
Iowa was Trump’s last in-person campaign stop on his whirlwind schedule to support midterm candidates in several reliably Republican states.
Trump stumped for Hinson Sunday night in Dubuque during which he made comments about the current U.S. House member and former TV journalist’s appearance and weight.
Michigan
Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are vying for the Senate post in another open race that the Cook Political Report shifted from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat” on Monday. Rogers, if elected, would be the first Republican to serve as senator for the Wolverine State since 2001.
In an unexpected move Sunday, El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, endorsed Rogers, a former member of the U.S. House. Stevens told reporters in a joint press conference with Rogers Sunday she changed her mind because “we have to stand with country.”
“We can’t stand with hate, we can’t stand with Hasan Piker,” she said, referring to the far-left influential streamer and known Israel critic who appeared at El-Sayed’s primary campaign events.
The shake-up reportedly shocked many Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens’ flip a “despicable betrayal” in a post on X Sunday.
The race has been among the ugliest of the 2026 midterm cycle. El-Sayed detractors have accused the former Detroit public health official of antisemitic statements.
Trump and other Republicans, including Rogers, have repeatedly hurled Islamophobic attacks at El-Sayed. Rogers described El-Sayed during an Oct. 26 campaign event as “the most radical extreme candidate in the country” and said he is “pretty close” to the nearly century-old political Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, which El-Sayed denies.
Kansas
Kansas, considered a ruby red state, is home to a surprisingly competitive Senate race between incumbent GOP Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton. Trump and other top Republicans have repeatedly campaigned in the Sunflower State.
Marshall, an OB-GYN, released his closing argument Sunday in a brief video during which he defended his former medical practice for sending clients who carried unpaid balances to collection agencies.
Speaking directly to the camera, Marshall said during the one-minute ad, “To ensure that 40,000 Kansans would still have access to care, we did have to keep the lights on. So we occasionally handed some accounts over to a collection agency, just like nearly every private medical practice does.”
The issue had dogged Marshall’s campaign since the New York Times reported in September that the Kansas doctor had filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with unpaid bills. Patients were arrested in 81 of the cases for missing court dates.
The patients filed a class action lawsuit against Marshall Thursday, Kansas Reflector reported.
Maine
In Maine, incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins is defending her seat against Democratic nominee Troy Jackson in another highly competitive Senate race. The results of that election could be delayed days — or even weeks — from Election Day due to the odds favoring a ranked-choice runoff, according to Maine Morning Star.
Jackson entered the race as a late candidate after the Democrats’ initial choice, Graham Platner, ended his campaign in July following multiple allegations of sexual assault.
Collins has held the seat for nearly three decades.
Jackson was mobbed by national press at his final campaign stop in South Portland. He told reporters he’s very hopeful given “the amount of people turning out, the way things are going, the way people are talking.”
“In the end, people want change and I think people see me as a change candidate, for what’s going on in this country, I feel really good about it, I really do.” He also optimistically predicted that the race wouldn’t go into a ranked-choice runoff and that either he or Collins would get above 50% of votes tonight.
Texas
Texas features a pivotal Senate race between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, and state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat. If elected, Talarico would be the first Democratic senator to represent the Lone Star State in more than 30 years.
Four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn lost in a primary run-off election in May after Trump endorsed Paxton.
Paxton, who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, was impeached by the Texas House in May 2023 on charges of bribery, disregard of duties and several other articles of impeachment. The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton of all charges the following September.
Paxton was indicted on state fraud charges in 2015. He reached a $300,000 settlement deal to end the state probe in 2024.
Ohio
The Buckeye State features a consequential race between incumbent GOP Sen. Jon Husted and Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate. Brown spent 18 years in the Senate but lost his reelection bid in 2024 to Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno. Moreno’s seat was formerly held by Vice President JD Vance before Vance was elected on the Republican presidential ticket with Trump in 2024.
Trump and Vance headlined multiple rallies throughout Ohio in support of Husted. Trump’s campaign stops for Husted drew attention last month for his repeated remarks about Husted’s physical appearance, with a focus on his backside.
The contest between Husted and Brown clocks in as one of the most expensive midterm races in the country.
North Carolina
Democrats are trying to flip the open seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in a race the Cook Political Report has dubbed “likely Democrat.” GOP candidate Michael Whatley, who previously chaired the Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party, is up against Democratic former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Tillis announced in June 2025 he would not seek reelection after Trump vowed to primary him because he voted “no” on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the president’s major tax and spending cuts package.
Eesha Pendharkar contributed to this report.