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Key California Races Could Determine Control of US Senate
· Confirmed
In Short: Several California congressional races are expected to be close and could determine control of the Senate.
In the closing weeks of the campaign, a top Republican super PAC canceled its ad spending in the race to focus more on protecting seats in more conservative territory as Cooper built a solid lead in the polls.
Cooper’s victory secures a crucial flip for Democrats as they try to take control of the Senate.
Republicans currently control the Senate with a 53–47 majority.
Polls show Democrats leading their Republican opponents in several key races that may determine control of the Senate.
The race is among a handful of Senate contests this year expected to determine control of the chamber.
Michigan has voted for Trump in two of the last three elections, yet Democrats have prevailed in every Senate race since 1994.
Some of the races that were closely watched earlier this year have slid from the spotlight as the election grew near.
As both parties prepare for the final leg of the campaign, here are some of the most closely watched Senate races.
These are the most consequential U.S. House races in California, which could determine how big the Democrats’ majority in Congress will be.
The remaining two redrawn districts — one in the Central Valley and the other straddling San Diego and Riverside counties — were drawn to be more competitive, although Democrats were leading by large margins in those races late Tuesday night.
Background
In the 2026 Senate races, several candidates are outperforming their poll numbers, including Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan and Maine's Susan Collins.
Voters across the country cast ballots on the final day of the 2026 midterm elections, with Democrats appearing to have an edge in several crucial Senate races.
What's confirmed
- Republicans currently control the Senate with a 53–47 majority.
What's still developing
- A handful of races feature progressive challengers seeking to oust longtime incumbents who could push the party to the left if they are successful.
- The race was initially expected to be one of the most hotly contested across the Senate landscape.
- Voters in all 435 congressional districts are choosing their representatives, and the results will determine which party controls the U.S. House.
- As two people with considerably different symptoms may receive the same depression diagnosis, researchers wanted to determine whether this individuality also manifests in brain activity.
- Invisible particles called neutrinos may determine whether some massive stars explode as supernovas or collapse into black holes.
- Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday, a major shake-up in the final stages of a top battleground race that could determine which party controls the Senate.
- The Democratic campaign for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat was involved in efforts to place on the ballot a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in a bid to confuse voters in a race that could determine which party controls the chamber, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
- The new model lets users download and customise the parameters, or "weights", that determine how it computes to their own servers.
- “These are the most important midterm elections ever,” Trump told the crowd at the Ocean Center Arena, beseeching voters to head to the polls for the midterm election that will determine which party controls Congress.
- Get the latest reports on tech and media earnings — click or tap here Major television news organizations have announced their plans for extensive coverage of the November 3 midterm elections, with broadcasters and streaming platforms planning hours of live reporting, election analysis and interactive features as voters determine control of Congress.
- North Carolina became the first state on Friday authorised to begin sending out ballots, formally launching an election season that culminates on November 3 and will determine control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's term.
- Democrats didn’t even need California’s congressional races to decisively reclaim control of the U.S.