Toss-up seats keep U.S. Senate control up for grabs

Thirty-five states vote today in U.S. Senate elections, but control of the upper chamber is teetering on the edge of around seven to nine states, according to traditionally reliable polls. Led by Majority Leader John Thune, S.D., the party division in the 119th Congress’ Senate is 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two Independents. Predictions show that around six of those red seats are vulnerable to flip. That could give Democrats the majority, but in the 2026 midterm elections, voters across the country will determine which party gets that responsibility.

Midterms often bring losses for the sitting president's party, but President Donald Trump has leaned into the campaigning, placing himself at the center of GOP messaging, even while some Republican Senate candidates distance themselves from his policies. In Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters' retirement opened up a battleground seat, Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers campaigned with Trump, while denouncing the trade war with Canada on broadcast TV. Similarly, incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who has split with Trump in the past, has walked the line of receiving the administration's endorsement, while pushing independent messaging around his policies, like tariffs, with implications for her toss-up Senate race.

Republican Senate nominees deal with voter frustrations surrounding the economy, which Pew Research identifies as a top issue for 84% of registered voters. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is navigating a fissure between progressive candidates and more established party members. Over the weekend, Michigan Democrat senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s former opponent in the primary election, Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed the GOP candidate, Rogers, citing El-Sayed’s request that she not attend his Sunday campaign event, as well as his ties to the controversial online streamer, Hasan Piker.

But in other battleground states, like Kansas, the Democratic Senate candidate is leaning into a message of independent leadership—seeking support from Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike, in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a decade.

Now, it's up to voters to determine the winners of 35 Senate seats. Follow along today as we watch the top Senate races that will determine the composition and control of the 120th United States Senate.