Everything to know about House and Senate control, ballot measures and 2026 Election Day poll closing

In two days, Americans voting in the will decide control of the U.S. House and Senate for the next two years.

Republicans are defending their slim congressional majorities, but President predicts the GOP will hold the House and Senate.

"If you elect a Republican House and a Republican Senate on November 3rd, we will continue to put America first every single day," the president pledged on the campaign trail last week. And he claimed if the Democrats take control, "this country will go to hell."

Republicans are fighting political history, as the party in power in Washington has traditionally lost seats during midterm election years. The GOP also faces a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation tied in part to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and Trump's increasingly negative approval ratings.

Also up for grabs in this year's midterm elections — governorships in 36 of the 50 states (as well as the territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Plus, all but four states are holding legislative elections. And voters will also weigh in on 145 statewide ballot measures in states from coast to coast.

Here's a closer look at what's up for grabs on Election Day 2026.

Republicans currently control the chamber 53-47, with the final Fox News Power Rankings ahead of Election Day rating the race for Senate control a toss-up.

Both parties are three seats short of a majority, according to the forecast. Democrats are favored in 48 seats and Republicans are ahead in 47. The GOP needs to hold 50 seats to retain control of the chamber, since Republican Vice President is the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

If Democrats ride a blue wave to victory by winning most or all of the competitive races, they could potentially come away from the midterms with up to 54 seats. But if Republicans have a good night and defy expectations, the GOP could hold the majority with up to 52 seats, according to the forecast.

Republicans are playing defense in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, South Carolina and Texas, which are all rated toss-ups in the Power Rankings. They're also defending seats in competitive races in Kansas, which is rated Lean Republican, and Ohio, which is rated Lean Democrat.

Democrats are on defense in Michigan, which is rated a toss-up, and in Minnesota and New Hampshire, which are listed as Lean Democrat.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The GOP is hanging on to a razor-thin majority in the House, and the Power Rankings point to the Democrats retaking control of the chamber.

A good night for the Democrats could see them ending up with as many as 240 seats in the 435-seat chamber. But if Republicans have a good night, they could end up with 212 seats. Thats six short of a majority, but enough to make life difficult for the next Democratic House Speaker, who would have to balance the demands of the moderate and far-left wings of the party.

The earliest-closing districts on election night will give some sense of the Houses future.

"Keep an eye on Kentuckys 6th district, which covers Lexington and a large central area of the state. Trump won here by 15 points in the last presidential election. Thanks to a combination of left-leaning college voters and farmers grappling with higher costs, it looks close this cycle," Remy Numa, a Fox News contributor who steers the network's Power Rankings, said.

There are currently 26 Republican and 24 Democratic governors.

The Power Rankings list three states where the GOP controls the governor's office - Alaska, Nevada, and Georgia - as toss-ups. Wisconsin, which has an open-Democratic control