US Midterms: A guide

As many of you may be aware, the US is going through the process of what is known as midterm elections, but what are they? As the name suggests, these elections fall midway through a president’s four-year term that they serve, occurring every four years. These elections do not vote in a new president, however they allow voters to choose who fills seats in the US Congress, as well as state and local government positions. These votes will then determine which political party will hold power in the US.

What is Congress?

Congress is the legislative branch of the US government, and it is divided into two separate chambers called the House of Representatives and the Senate. Some of what Congress does includes making federal laws, approving national budgets and holding powers such as confirming presidential appointments. Both the House and Senate were voted for.

What are the votes for?

In terms of the elections, the House of Representatives has 435 seats that are all up for election during the midterms, as every member of the House serves two-year terms. To control the House, a party needs to win at least 218 of the 435, half of the seats.

The Senate has slightly fewer seats in total, and even less up for grabs, with only around a third of the 100 seats being up for vote. Senators each serve six-year terms, meaning their terms are staggered, resulting in only a handful being available for every election. To hold an outright majority within the Senate, a party needs to have either 51 seats, or 50 seats with the Vice Presidents tie breaking vote.

So, why do these elections matter, and how do they shape American life?

With the Democrats coming out on top in these elections in, they now have the chance and power to control American and its direction over the next few years,

One way would be through domestic policy. Given the Democrats have won the majority of seats, they will now get to decide the calendar and what bills get voted on, as well as policies on national issues such as taxes and government spending.

A second way would be through making passing laws much harder. With Trump’s party of the Republicans falling short of gaining a majority in both the House and the Senate, it could lead to the president having to compromise with the Democrats. In terms of Trump now, with the Republicans losing these elections, Trump will struggle to pass laws, and the US government will become divided. Any laws Trump does try and pass will then have to be negotiated with the Democrats, potentially compromising his aims.

Another way would be through the Democrat’s ability to approve presidential choices. Only the senate has the power to confirm high level appointments made by the president, such as Supreme Court justices and federal judges. This would mean that the Democrats could demand administration documents and scrutinise decisions made by the Republicans and Trump, blocking appointments that he would make to help himself. On top of this, the Democrats hold what is known as subpoena power. This gives legal power to the Democrats to demand documents and testimonies, giving the opportunity for them to launch investigations into the Republicans.

What were the results?

As of 05/11/26, the Democrats gained a majority in both the House and Senate, winning 251 seats compared to the Republican’s 155 in the House of Representatives, along with the Democrats winning 20 seats in the Senate compared to the Republicans 13 seats, putting the Democrats at 54 total seats in the Senate, and the Republicans at 44 seats.

Were there any shock results?

Some surprises appeared in the Senate vote in places including Texas, Ohio and Kansas, where the Democrats secured a string of victories in Republican strongholds, all which had last voted Democrat around a 100 years ago.