U.S. midterms could shift balance of power halfway through Trump’s term

All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships are up for election Nov. 3, roughly halfway through Trump's term, determining control of the 120th Congress that convenes in January 2027. Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats to Democrats' 45 (plus two independents who caucus with them), and 219 House seats to Democrats' 212, with four vacancies.

A Sept. 1-2 poll of 1,500 respondents commissioned by Bipartisan Policy Center Action and American Policy Ventures found 50.7% would probably or definitely back a Democratic candidate if the election were held today, versus 42.1% for a Republican, with 7.2% undecided. During Trump's first term, Republicans lost 17% of House seats in 2018 while gaining Senate seats; only 1998 broke the historical pattern of midterm losses for the president's party.

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