2026 midterm election races to watch

CBS News has identified 10 key Senate and 42 House races that will likely decide the majority — all of which can change during the midterm campaign.

CBS News' Battleground Tracker polling is back for 2026, capturing what's on voters' minds and the key groups to watch coast to coast, as well as what it means for districts, seat estimates and control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Every district and state matters, but CBS News also identifies 10 key Senate and 42 House races that will likely decide the majority — all of which can change as the campaign rolls on.Democrats and Republicans are focusing on a small number of races in the House and the Senate as they fight for control of Congress in the midterm elections this fall.Republicans, who currently have the majority in both chambers, are vulnerable primarily because of the unpopular Iran war and continuing cost-of-living economic pressure.

SenateRepublicans have 53 seats, and Democrats have 47. Most of the 22 seats the GOP is defending are in states Mr. Trump easily won in 2024. Democrats must add a net total of four seats to take the majority while also defending a few seats against GOP challenges.Here are the ten 2026 Senate races to watch:AlaskaGOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola are the front-runners in Alaska's top-four primary, where another candidate by the same name as the incumbent is also on the ballot. Alaska hasn't elected a Democrat to the