The 2026 midterms.
Not into politics? Start here. Tap any card.What does it mean to win the South?
Participation, representation and competition.
Where does Trump stand? What’s this?
In all five states, more registered voters disapprove of Trump than approve.
What issues are on people’s minds?
Midterm results.
The firsts.
Election night produced historic firsts on both sides of the aisle, across the South and the country.
Winners by state.
Every called race the desk tracked, with the winning margin.
Did the map bet pay off?
One Republican pickup, four Democratic holds.
How do you build a new winning coalition?
How do you build a winning coalition in the state when either the party has collapsed or the standard-bearer is unpopular?
Follow the money: Byron Donalds raised $158.8 million for governor, nearly seven times his opponent. He won by 1.3 points.
Florida, at a glance.
A quick read on the economy, the electorate and the races.
People & change
Florida voters
Population & demographics · 23.46M
Economy & power
Who holds power
Votes & sentiment
Trump’s Florida winning margins
Trump approval · Florida
Black voters · Trump’s vote share
Issues that matter
Four candidates · two races.
Governor
RCP average · Oct. 12–30U.S. Senate
RCP average · Oct. 2–30Are elections secure?
Can voters trust that they can vote safely and that their vote will count? How has the Supreme Court’s Callais ruling affected Black voters’ motivation to participate in early voting?
Why Georgia matters: Georgia has been at the center of fights over how votes are counted since 2020. This year’s question was whether voters still trusted the system enough to show up.
Georgia, at a glance.
People & change
Who lives here · 11,302,748 residents
Economy & power
Republicans hold both chambers
Votes & sentiment
The candidates.
Mississippi.
What’s possible in MS and across the South?
For most of the cycle, forecasters rated the Senate race “Solid R.”
How close? Out of nearly a million votes, the Senate race came down to 6,012, a margin of less than one point.
Colom vs. Hyde-Smith. ✓ AP called
The forecast · Cook Political Report
How it happened.
The swing
DeSoto County · a 30-point swing toward Democrats
Forrest County · a 28-point swing toward Democrats
DeSoto County · how the vote totals shifted
Participation & power
Republicans control both chambers
How is Texas a microcosm of what is happening around the country?
Every major national midterm story is happening in Texas at once: affordability, a Latino electorate both parties are competing for, and a high-stakes redistricting strategy.
Everything’s bigger: 7.7 million Texans voted early this year, about 57% more than in 2018.
The forces shaping Texas.
Affordability pressure. A shifting coalition. A Republican map gamble.
The electorate
Early ballots cast statewide
The map gamble · TX-35
A redrawn seat · 2024 presidential margin
A GOP pickup target · October 2026 poll
The races.
U.S. Senate
James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton
Governor
Gina Hinojosa vs. Greg Abbott
TX-15
Bobby Pulido vs. Monica De La Cruz