Midterm Election Results 2026 Live: Who Wins the Senate and House, and What It Means for Bitcoin

Americans voted on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, for all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 senators. At 08:49 CET on Wednesday, the count is running. Democrats win the House and Democrats win the Senate, NBC News projects. NBC News projects at least 255 House seats for the winning party, with 228 called for Democrats and 144 for Republicans so far, and the Senate stands at 54 to 43, including seats not up for election. Democrats need a net gain of three seats for the House and four for the Senate, according to MS NOW. Prediction markets put a Democratic sweep at 100 percent on Polymarket (08:49 CET). For Bitcoin and crypto, the midterm election results decide who writes the next market structure law after the CLARITY Act failed in the Senate in September.

Mississippi: after election night only a few dozen votes separated Scott Colom and Cindy Hyde-Smith. Results, affidavit ballots and the recount rules.

Trump's reaction: he accepts the result, blames fellow Republicans and promises vetoes. What it means for Bitcoin, the Trump coin and the CLARITY Act.

Midterm election results 2026: the key facts

• Status (08:49 CET): NBC News projects at least 255 House seats for the winning party, with 228 called for Democrats and 144 for Republicans so far; Senate 54 to 43, including seats not up for election. Democrats win the House and Democrats win the Senate, NBC News projects.
• Majority: 218 of 435 seats in the House, 51 of 100 in the Senate; at 50 to 50 Vice President JD Vance casts the deciding vote for the Republicans.
• Before the vote: Republicans held the Senate 53 to 47, counting two independents with the Democrats, and the House 218 to 212, according to WHYY and NBC.
• Exit poll: Trump approval 38 percent, the economy is the top issue at 39 percent (preliminary, NBC News).
• Crypto law: the CLARITY Act failed 49 to 50 on 15 September; it needed 60 votes and expires on 3 January if the Senate does not act.
• Bitcoin: $78,126 at 08:49 CET (CoinMarketCap).

Midterm election results live: the latest updates

All times are Central European Time (CET); US Eastern Time is six hours earlier. Race calls come from AP and the NBC News Decision Desk. Newest entry first.

• 08:29: NBC News projects El-Sayed (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Michigan.
• 08:13: More Senate races in depth: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska.
• 07:40: NBC News projects Alme (Republican) wins the Senate race in Montana.
• 07:32: NBC News projects Risch (Republican) wins the Senate race in Idaho.
• 06:51: Seventh Senate seat flips: Troy Jackson defeats Susan Collins in Maine, NBC News projects. Michigan, Nebraska and Alaska are still open.
• 06:50: NBC News projects Jackson (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Maine, a seat that changes party.
• 06:40: How did the betting markets do? Before the polls closed, the Polymarket favourite won eight of the nine Senate races called by 05:30 CET. Details are in our Polymarket review.
• 06:34: NBC News projects Letlow (Republican) wins the Senate race in Louisiana.
• 06:15: House count: 206 seats called for Democrats, 108 for Republicans; net gain so far: Democrats +24.
• 06:07: NBC News projects Flanagan (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Minnesota.
• 05:54: House count: 185 seats called for Democrats, 100 for Republicans; net gain so far: Democrats +20.
• 05:41: NBC News projects Rounds (Republican) wins the Senate race in South Dakota.
• 05:26: Democrats win the Senate, NBC News projects.
• 05:26: NBC News projects Turek (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Iowa, a seat that changes party.
• 05:25: NBC News projects: Democrats win the Senate. Democrats win the Senate.
• 05:22: Fifth Senate seat flips: Adam Hamilton wins Kansas, NBC News projects, after North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Ohio. That gives Democrats a cushion even if they lose one of their own seats. Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, Iowa, Nebraska and Alaska are still open.
• 05:21: NBC News projects Hamilton (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Kansas, a seat that changes party.
• 05:18: House count: 150 seats called for Democrats, 89 for Republicans; net gain so far: Democrats +13.
• 05:11: Fourth Senate seat flips: Sherrod Brown wins Ohio, NBC News projects, against heavy spending by the crypto industry. Details are in our Ohio report. Four flips would give Democrats 51 seats if they hold all of their own, and Michigan and Minnesota are not decided yet.
• 05:10: NBC News projects Brown (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Ohio, a seat that changes party.
• 05:06: State by state: county swing, crypto money and what comes next in South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, California.
• 05:02: NBC News projects Merkley (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Oregon.
• 04:55: Third Senate seat flips: James Talarico wins Texas, NBC News projects. Democrats now need a net gain of one more seat for the majority. Ohio, Maine, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Alaska are still open.
• 04:54: NBC News projects Talarico (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Texas, a seat that changes party.
• 04:50: What the House result means for crypto is in our report Democrats win the House.
• 04:38: NBC News projects Cotton (Republican) wins the Senate race in Arkansas.
• 04:20: Correction: seat figures of 244 to 191 shown here earlier were NBC's projection of the final result, not seats already called. The ticker now shows called seats and names the projection separately.
• 04:11: NBC News projects Moore (Republican) wins the Senate race in Alabama.
• 04:09: Democrats win the House, NBC News projects.
• 04:02: Second Senate seat flips: Annie Andrews defeats Darline Graham in South Carolina, the first Democratic Senate win there since 1998. Darline Graham was appointed after her brother Lindsey Graham died on 11 July. Democrats now need a net gain of two more seats.
• 04:01: NBC News projects Andrews (Democrat) wins the Senate race in South Carolina, a seat that changes party.
• 03:53: NBC News projects Hagerty (Republican) wins the Senate race in Tennessee.
• 03:48: House count: 104 seats called for Democrats, 51 for Republicans; net gain so far: Democrats +4.
• 03:40: NBC News projects Hern (Republican) wins the Senate race in Oklahoma.
• 03:37: Two years after Trump's win: voters under 30 moved from D+11 to D+46 in the preliminary exit poll, and Bitcoin trails gold since Election Day 2024. The biggest changes since 2024.
• 03:22: NBC News projects Byron Donalds (Republican) wins the Florida governor race against David Jolly. Trump won the state by 13.1 points in 2024; the gap tonight is about 1.4 points with 98 percent counted. Why it got so close.
• 03:22: NBC News projects Barr (Republican) wins the Senate race in Kentucky.
• 03:07: Texas: James Talarico leads Ken Paxton in early counting in a state Trump won by 13.7 points in 2024. Texas is also the first US state to put public money into Bitcoin for a reserve, so far through an ETF. How far the suburbs have moved.
• 03:01: NBC News projects Hageman (Republican) wins the Senate race in Wyoming.
• 03:01: NBC News projects Lujan (Democrat) wins the Senate race in New Mexico.
• 03:01: NBC News projects Hickenlooper (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Colorado.
• 02:58: Ohio: Sherrod Brown leads Jon Husted after Fairshake and its allies spent more than $50 million against him, the most expensive crypto target of 2026. Crypto's bet against Sherrod Brown.
• 02:48: Florida: Byron Donalds has retaken the lead over David Jolly as the Republican Panhandle reports, and NBC News projects Ashley Moody holds the Senate seat. Trump won the state by 13.1 points in 2024. County by county: how far Florida has moved.
• 02:41: House count: 50 seats called for Democrats, 21 for Republicans; net gain so far: Democrats +0.
• 02:39: NBC News projects Moore Capito (Republican) wins the Senate race in West Virginia.
• 02:32: NBC News projects Moody (Republican) wins the Senate race in Florida.
• 02:25: First Senate seat changes party: with Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Democrats now need a net gain of three more seats for the majority. Ohio, Maine, Alaska, Texas and Iowa decide the rest.
• 02:24: NBC News projects Cooper (Democrat) wins the Senate race in North Carolina, a seat that changes party.
• 02:21: NBC News projects Pappas (Democrat) wins the Senate race in New Hampshire.
• 02:02: NBC News projects Reed (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Rhode Island.
• 02:02: NBC News projects Booker (Democrat) wins the Senate race in New Jersey.
• 02:02: NBC News projects Markey (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Massachusetts.
• 02:02: NBC News projects Stratton (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Illinois.
• 02:02: NBC News projects Coons (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Delaware.
• 01:33: NBC News projects Ossoff (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Georgia.
• 01:03: NBC News projects Warner (Democrat) wins the Senate race in Virginia.
• 01:00: Polls have closed in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont; counting has started in Kentucky and Indiana.
• 00:51: Trump tells the Financial Times the US is "locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it" on Iran (Times of Israel, citing Reuters).
• 00:44: Exit poll: 62 percent call the military action against Iran the wrong decision; among Republican voters, 77 percent back it (NBC News).
• 00:40: Exit poll: only 25 percent rate the economy as good or excellent; in 2018 it was 68 percent (NBC News).
• 00:31: Trump's approval stands at 38 percent in the preliminary exit poll, 62 percent disapprove (NBC News).
• 00:11: Alaska reports a state record of 105,423 early and absentee votes (NBC News).
• 00:00: First polls close in parts of Indiana and Kentucky, the first signals of the night.
• Earlier: Technical delays in several North Carolina counties; three Pennsylvania precincts extend voting to 20:30 Eastern Time (MS NOW).
• Earlier: AAA puts regular gasoline at $4.14 a gallon, the highest price on any US Election Day (NBC News).

Senate results 2026: the races that decide the majority

Republicans can lose three seats and still control the Senate. MS NOW rates Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas as toss-ups, and NBC News also names Georgia, North Carolina and Iowa among the close races. Democrats have to defend Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota and flip four seats elsewhere, so North Carolina and Ohio, which report early in the night, are the first real signal.

Candidates and status: NBC News, based on AP data. Close races can stay open for days: Alaska and Maine use ranked-choice voting, and Georgia goes to a runoff if nobody reaches 50 percent.

What the midterm results mean for crypto: four constellations

A Democratic House is close to priced in; the open question is the Senate. For the CLARITY Act, the deciding number is 60, because the bill needs 60 votes to get past a Senate filibuster, and in September it reached 49. So no outcome tonight passes the law on its own. The odds below are from Polymarket's balance of power market at 08:49 CET.

The sharpest reading comes from TD Cowen. Its Washington analyst Jaret Seiberg wrote on election day that a Congress under Democratic control would likely investigate Trump and his crypto ties, "which is why we do not expect the Clarity Act to pass over the next two years", as Bitcoin Magazine reports. Elizabeth Warren would then lead the Senate Banking Committee and Maxine Waters the House Financial Services Committee.

That leaves two paths. The first is the lame-duck session until 3 January: Senator Angela Alsobrooks, one of the negotiators, still considers a deal possible before the new Congress starts. The second is rulemaking at the SEC and CFTC, which works without Congress as long as the agencies stay staffed. Everything on the bill's history and content is in our explainer CLARITY Act explained.

How Bitcoin, oil and gold react to the midterm results

With a sweep priced this high, a Democratic win alone is no surprise. The market reaction to watch is a Republican Senate hold or a late shift in Texas and Ohio. Bitcoin went into the night 3.5 percent lower on the week, under pressure from the Binance hack and the sell-off on Wall Street.

History gives no reliable template: after the last six US elections, Bitcoin moved between minus 45 and plus 44 percent within 30 days, as our midterm analysis shows. Five concrete paths for Bitcoin, XRP and Solana are in our midterm scenarios. If you hold coins through a night like this, use platforms from our comparison of regulated crypto exchanges or your own wallet; for a broader market view, see our crypto broker comparison.

Exit polls 2026: prices, Latino voters and the egg test

The preliminary exit poll for NBC News shows a tense mood: 75 percent rate the economy as not so good or poor, 79 percent say inflation has caused them hardship, and 62 percent blame higher prices on Trump's policies. Latino voters backed Democrats by 62 to 35 percent and Black voters by 89 to 9. These are survey figures, not counted votes, and they can shift overnight.

The symbol of the 2024 campaign no longer fits, though. A dozen eggs cost $3.37 in October 2024 and $2.27 in September 2026, 33 percent less, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gasoline went the other way, from $3.28 to $4.48 a gallon, up 37 percent, as the Iran war pushed up oil; on election day AAA showed $4.14, the highest Election Day price on record, NBC News reports. Coffee costs 40 percent more and ground beef 22 percent more. Wages rose 6.6 percent and consumer prices 6.7 percent over the same period, so the average paycheck has only kept pace.

Trump, Iran and the days after the midterms

The vote also closes a political window. Trump said on 8 October that he would not order new strikes on Iran before the election, CNBC reported, and CNN reported that the Pentagon is weighing the GBU-43/B, the "mother of all bombs", if strikes resume; CNBC could not confirm that independently. On the eve of the vote, the Wall Street Journal reported a US strike on Iran's Qeshm Island, which officials described as defensive, and Brent traded at $105, according to CNBC. The New York Times reported joint US and Israeli strike plans for the period after the midterms, according to Al Jazeera, and on election day Trump told the Financial Times: "We're locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it", the Times of Israel reports. What this means for traders is in our analysis Trump, Iran and the MOAB.

When will the final midterm results be known?

A House majority can be clear on Wednesday morning European time if Democrats win the early battlegrounds in the East. California and other Western states count for days, and the last polls close in Alaska at 07:00 CET. Senate control may have to wait for Alaska, Maine or a Georgia runoff. Next on the calendar: the US jobs report on Friday, 6 November, then the lame-duck session, and on 3 January 2027 the new Congress. This article is not investment advice.