Americans go to the polls on November 3 in midterm elections that will shape the final two years of President Donald Trump's term, though he is not on the ballot. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate races (including two special elections) are contested; Democrats need a net gain of 3 House seats and 4 Senate seats to win control. Campaign advertising is projected near $11.5–$12.5 billion. Also in play: 36 governorships and 6,139 state legislative seats.
US Midterms By The Numbers: 435 House Seats, 35 Senate Races and ~$12B in Ads — Trump Not On The Ballot
Held halfway through a president's four-year term, the US midterm elections decide control of Congress (Kent Nishimura)
Americans will vote on November 3 in midterm elections that will shape the final two years of President Donald Trump's term — even though he is not on any ballot. These midterms decide control of Congress and include gubernatorial contests and thousands of state and local offices.
House Of Representatives
435: All seats in the House, the lower chamber of Congress, are up for election every two years.
218: The number required for a majority in the 435-seat chamber.
+3: The net number of seats Democrats must gain (relative to the 2024 result) to win control. Republicans won a 220–215 majority in 2024, but subsequent deaths, resignations and a party switch have left the current balance at 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacancies. Losing two seats would still leave Republicans with a working majority; losing three would cost them control.
Senate And Statewide Races
35: Senate seats on the ballot — 33 in the routine six-year rotation plus special elections in Florida and Ohio.
Republicans currently hold a 53–47 edge in the 100-seat Senate (counting two independents who caucus with Democrats). Democrats therefore need a net gain of four seats to reach 51 and take control. If the chamber split 50–50, the vice president would cast the tiebreaking vote.
36: States electing governors this cycle — nearly three-quarters of states.
6,139: State legislative seats regularly contested across 88 of the nation's 99 legislative chambers.
What The Polls Say
53–41%: A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll (Sept. 14–15) found Democrats leading Republicans by this margin among registered voters when asked which party's congressional candidate they would support. The same survey put Democrats ahead among independents by 57% to 32%.
32–41%: The range of President Trump's approval ratings across several major September surveys. Differences in methodology and sampling mean the numbers are not directly comparable, but none suggests strong presidential coattails.
55%: The share of registered voters who told NBC News that Trump's policies had hurt the economy, compared with 26% who said they helped.
Money, Money, Money
About $12 billion: Projected advertising spending across the 2025–26 election cycle. Ad-tracking firm AdImpact forecasts roughly $11.6 billion, while Kinetiq Political Insights estimates about $11.96 billion (a projected range of $11.5–$12.5 billion). These figures would top the previous midterm record and even exceed 2024 presidential-cycle ad spending.
$330 million: Estimated ad spending in the California governor's primary alone, according to AdImpact — the costliest gubernatorial primary on record and a sign of how expensive the entire cycle is becoming.
For The Trivia File
2,497: Candidates who ran in U.S. congressional primaries this year — the most since at least 2014. A remarkable 2,232 of them sought House seats.
44: House races on November 3 that are direct rematches of the same major-party candidates who faced each other in 2024. Expanding to state and local contests, there are 474 electoral rematches nationwide — a reminder that political sequels are common.
Data sources: public election records, national polls cited, AdImpact and Kinetiq estimates.
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