# Senate races 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 28, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534 "2025-01-28T15:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 70
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1382 "2026-11-03T02:30:53Z")
The Associated Press has a pretty good tracker (though I usually watch the NYT’s tracker) Here’s the AP’s link, which shows when polls close in each state: [2026 Midterm Election Results: Senate, House and Governor Races | AP News](https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/) They’ll call the races when it’s shown there’s no clear path to victory for the trailing candidate. For places like Alaska, we might not know for a while - between the ranked choice voting and the fact that absentee ballots can come in up to two weeks after election day and still be counted, a close race will take time to be called. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1383 "2026-11-03T02:31:25Z")
Parts of Indiana and Kentucky close at 6pm Eastern. SC, GA, VA, most of FL, VT and parts of NH close at 7pm Eastern. [Here is a map](https://www.politico.com/story/2012/10/poll-closings-times-by-state-2012-presidential-election-082595) that shows the rest of the country with times of closings in Eastern time. The big news will pretty much hit at 8pm Eastern. We will likely have a pretty good idea of how it is going by 9pm Eastern. Alaska will be late and California races will take weeks. The GOP will fighting against any results after Election Day so that will be fun. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1384 "2026-11-03T02:55:07Z")
Thanks. Looking around, the NYT election coverage says: “Experts say it could take days and even weeks before winners are known in key states including Maine, Alaska, Arizona and California”. Alaska accepts mailed ballots that arrive up to 10 days after the election (15 if mailed from overseas) so long as they are postmarked by Election Day. They also have 4 candidates on the ballot, and ranked choice, so election officials might have to count more than once. (It’s unclear to me why they can’t scan the ballots once and have software do the ranked choice, but that’s what the article says.) CA and AZ take a long time because… It’s a little unclear to my why, but they do. Maybe they tend to have close races. CA does accept ballots that arrive in the mail to to a week late. I don’t think Maine will take that long, unless it’s incredibly close. They have ranked choice, but there are only two people on the ballot, and unless there’s a massive write-in vote, it seems unlikely that they’ll need to use the second name on any ballot. And they only count ballots that arrive before polls close. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1385 "2026-11-03T03:03:38Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > CA and AZ take a long time because… It’s a little unclear to my why, but they do. One obvious factor with California is just that it’s big. Though that should also come with a correspondingly amount of people and infrastructure for vote-counting. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1386 "2026-11-03T03:05:33Z")
If we have to wait for California results to know who won the House, it will be a VERY bad night. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1387 "2026-11-03T03:10:10Z")
So, we might be waiting for Alaska results. That’s my takeaway. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1388 "2026-11-03T03:13:00Z")
Very true but the exact margin in the House won’t be known until they finish counting. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1389 "2026-11-03T03:13:23Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > If we have to wait for California results to know who won the House, it will be a VERY bad night. Pretty much this. CA gerrymandered itself and may pick up a few extra seats. If they are close enough to make the difference after post-election exit polling between House control and no House control there was no blue wave at all, more a blue spitball. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1390 "2026-11-03T03:19:39Z")
Well, if the NYT/Sienna polls made us Dems optimistic, the last batch of AtlasIntel ones are also crazy-good: [![](https://i.redd.it/he9fbizsrazh1.jpeg) ](https://i.redd.it/he9fbizsrazh1.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1391 "2026-11-03T03:34:56Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I’ve been burned in the past and 2024 was only 2 years ago. It was but to me it feels like at least five years of Trump’s bullshit and I’m hoping it feels like that to enough others. My fingers are crossed so hard they hurt. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1392 "2026-11-03T03:35:58Z")
James Carville said Haley Stevens political career is over. I guess the Democrat’s claim of a “Big Tent” is not big enough for Haley Stevens. [James Carville Tears Dem Loser Haley Stevens Apart for Switching Sides](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/james-carville-melts-down-dem-054434557.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1393 "2026-11-03T03:37:56Z")
Not big enough for Nazi sympathizers? How narrow minded of them. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1394 "2026-11-03T03:41:31Z")
cite? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1395 "2026-11-03T03:41:33Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I guess the Democrat’s claim of a “Big Tent” is not big enough for Haley Stevens. Not big enough to include traitors to the Republican side, sure. Not big enough to include people who share none of the values and vote for the opposition, sure. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1396 "2026-11-03T03:43:43Z")
she said she was voting a straight democratic ticket (including governor) other than El-Sayed. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1397 "2026-11-03T03:44:31Z")
Are you for real? She’s the one who changed teams. If you think that the Democratic leadership are being hypocrites here, you are delusional ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1398 "2026-11-03T03:47:29Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Not big enough for Nazi sympathizers? How narrow minded of them. Worry not. The guy running an ad reaching out to Tucker Carlson fans is still the nominee in Michigan, and Graham Platner, Totenkopf and all, was full speed ahead as the nominee in Maine until the number of rape victims became too big to ignore. This before getting into what the average Dearborn voter or Ilhan Omar constituent thinks about the Banana-Stealing People. The coalition definitely includes some pencil mustache aspirants. But not Haley Stevens, anymore. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1399 "2026-11-03T03:58:21Z")
I think Stevens realized as a Democratic Moderate she was closer to the Republican platform than the extreme progressive agenda of El-Sayed. Medicare for all, Boys taking away scholarship opportunities from girls, Boys changing in girls lockerrooms, student loan forgiveness, open borders, elimination of ICE, etc ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1400 "2026-11-03T04:05:03Z")
Let’s read her own words. Spoiler: It has nothing to do with that hateful bigoted bile that you hypothesise. [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6191007-haley-stevens-endorses-mike-rogers/](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6191007-haley-stevens-endorses-mike-rogers/) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/1401 "2026-11-03T04:05:03Z")
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