Key Senate races to watch in the U.S. midterms

Democrats have won the U.S. Senate, picking up six key seats in one of the most consequential midterm elections in decades.

The GOP held a 53-47 majority ahead of the midterms and thirty-five seats are up for reelection: Republicans hold 22, while Democrats hold 13. With Republican Vice President JD Vance’s ability to break tie votes, Democrats needed 51 seats to win control of the chamber.

Here were the nine key Senate races to watch:

Story will be updated as results come in

Senate races

Alaska

(Currently held by a Republican)

Rep. Mary Peltola’s decision to run for Senate was a huge win for Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats as she takes on GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, a lowkey conservative who does not stray often from the party line.

Peltola, who won a U.S. House special election to replace the late Rep. Don Young in 2022, later won a full term, defeating former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. A former tribal judge, Peltola was the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress, and she would be the same if elected to the U.S. Senate. She lost reelection in 2024 to GOP Rep. Nick Begich.

Polls have suggested this is a very close race. Peltola has attempted to position herself as an independent voice and distanced herself from national Democratic political figures.

Alaska elections use ranked choice voting, so if neither Sullivan nor Peltola receives over 50% of the vote, it could be a while until a winner is determined. To further complicate matters, there is another candidate named Dan Sullivan — not the incumbent senator — on the ballot.

Georgia

Democrat Jon Ossoff won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing Georgia, defeating Republican Mike Collins.

Ossoff was the only Senate Democrat seeking reelection in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024, and holding his seat was critical to his party’s hopes of flipping control of the Senate. Ossoff was considered vulnerable at the outset of the 2026 election cycle.

But he vastly outraised Collins, a two-term congressman who won Trump’s endorsement during an extended Republican primary, and he ran an aggressive campaign that gained national attention for his biting critiques of Trump.

Iowa

Democrat Josh Turek won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing Iowa, defeating Republican Ashley Hinson.

Turek’s victory over Hinson, a U.S. House member, flips a Republican-held seat and boosts Democrats’ efforts to retake control of the Senate. A state representative since 2023, Turek competed in four Paralympics and played professional wheelchair basketball in Europe.

Hinson was endorsed by President Donald Trump, who won Iowa by double digits in the last presidential election. It’s been more than a decade since a Democrat represented Iowa in the Senate. The seat is held by retiring two-term Sen. Joni Ernst.

Ohio

Democrat Sherrod Brown won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing Ohio, defeating Republican incumbent Jon Husted. The victory over the incumbent Husted is a boost for Democrats as they seek to retake control of the Senate in President Trump’s final two years in office.

Husted had been appointed to the seat to replace JD Vance when he became vice president. Brown served in the Senate for three terms until he lost his seat in 2024. His comeback demonstrates Democratic strength in a state that has shifted to the right

Maine

Democrat Troy Jackson won election Wednesday to the U.S. Senate representing Maine, defeating Republican incumbent Susan Collins.

Democrats considered defeating Collins as key to winning control of the U.S. Senate, and she was one of Republicans’ most threatened incumbents this year.

Jackson, a former state legislative leader, replaced Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee after Platner dropped out while facing an allegation of sexual assault, which he denied. 

Michigan

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won election Wednesday to the U.S. Senate representing Michigan, defeating Republican Mike Rogers.

El-Sayed, a former public health official, will succeed Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is retiring.

El-Sayed will be the country’s first Muslim senator and his victory holds a seat that his party could not afford to lose as it tries to flip Senate control in Washington. El-Sayed had defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in a razor-thin primary despite her massive fundraising advantage and support from Democratic establishment figures who warned that El-Sayed was a risky bet in November.

His victory over Rogers, a former congressman, will likely embolden progressives by demonstrating success in a battleground state.

New Hampshire

Democrat Chris Pappas won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing New Hampshire, defeating Republican John Sununu.

The race was one of a handful that will help determine which party controls the Senate and Pappas’ victory defended the key seat for the Democrats. Pappas, a member of the U.S. House, will replace Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who decided not to seek reelection. Sununu previously served in the Senate and House.

Pappas is also the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate.

North Carolina

Democrat Roy Cooper won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing North Carolina, defeating Republican Michael Whatley. Cooper’s victory gives Democrats a key pickup in their quest to wrest Senate control from Republicans.

The seat was open because Republican Sen. Thom Tillis opted not to seek another term. Cooper is a former governor and state attorney general. Whatley is a former state and national Republican Party chairman who ran with President Donald Trump’s support.

Texas

Democrat James Talarico won election Tuesday to the U.S. Senate representing Texas, defeating Republican Ken Paxton.

Talarico’s victory represents the first time a Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, a shakeup for a state long dominated by Republicans. The outcome boosts Democrats as they look to retake control of the Senate.

A seminary student and state representative, Talarico focused on bringing down everyday costs and revisiting corruption allegations against Paxton, a state attorney general. Paxton, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement, said Talarico’s progressive stances on social issues were out of step with Texas.