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CBS News highlights the races that could decide Congress in the 2026 midterms
The outlet flagged nine Senate contests and 42 House races as the most consequential in the battle for control. Republicans hold both chambers for now, but the campaign is unfolding amid several political vulnerabilities.
With the 2026 U.S. midterm elections approaching, CBS News singled out a relatively small set of Senate and House contests that it says are likely to shape which party controls Congress.
According to the outlet, Republicans currently hold the majority in both chambers, but they enter the campaign facing headwinds tied to the war with Iran and persistent cost-of-living concerns. In the Senate, the terrain remains difficult for Democrats: Republicans hold 53 seats to 47, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win the chamber while also protecting some of their own positions.
CBS News listed Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and New Hampshire among the Senate races to watch. Several of those states feature open-seat battles after retirements, including Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and New Hampshire, while others center on high-profile reelection fights such as Susan Collins in Maine and Jon Ossoff in Georgia.
In Texas, the outlet pointed to the matchup between Ken Paxton and James Talarico after John Cornyn lost the Republican primary. In Ohio, it highlighted Sherrod Brown’s attempted comeback against Republican Jon Husted. It also emphasized the North Carolina contest between Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley for the seat being vacated by Thom Tillis.
In the House, CBS News noted that all 435 seats are on the ballot and that 218 are needed for a majority. By its count, the chamber is narrowly split, with 218 Republicans, an independent who caucuses with the GOP, 214 Democrats and two vacant seats.
The districts identified by the outlet span battleground states including Arizona, California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The list includes open seats, vulnerable incumbents and newly redrawn districts that have shifted the political balance.
Among the contests it highlighted are Juan Ciscomani’s reelection race in Arizona, Adam Gray’s defense of his California seat, Jared Moskowitz’s new fight in Florida, Christina Bohannan’s third attempt against Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa, and the Nebraska battle for the seat being vacated by Don Bacon. Several districts in New York and Ohio also stand out, with CBS News arguing they could prove decisive in the fight for the House majority.
The outlet said the landscape may still shift as the campaign unfolds, but argued that these races are already drawing the heaviest focus from both parties in the struggle for Congress.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
