Last updated: November 15, 2026, 2:10 p.m.

November 3, 2026, 6:30 p.m.: Off on a Tangent election coverage is getting underway.

• Polls in Virginia are scheduled to close at 7:00 p.m.; anybody already in line by that time can vote.
• I call winners using a proprietary method that incorporates official returns, exit poll data, media calls, and other sources.
• Live returns for the races I’m following are based on Virginia Department of Elections data feeds. I also monitor various secondary sources, so it is sometimes possible to call a race before returns are displayed.
• My live coverage will continue at least until all the races I’m following have been called, or 1:00 a.m., whichever comes first. Updates will continue as time permits until the Virginia results certified.

7:00 p.m.: Virginia’s polls will be closing after voters already in line cast their ballots. Results should begin coming in soon after.

7:06 p.m.: Tangent call: Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has been reelected to the U.S. Senate.

7:43 p.m.: Tangent call: The Loudoun County Public Safety and Transportation bond referendums have passed.

8:03 p.m.: Tangent call: The Loudoun County School bond referendum has passed.

8:06 p.m.: Tangent call: Representative Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA 10th) has been reelected to the House of Representatives.

8:30 p.m.: It’s shaping up to be a good night for Democrats, which was expected. Exactly how good remains to be seen. For historical context, the party that wins the presidency almost always loses seats in the midterms—sometimes by historic margins.

9:03 p.m.: Tangent call: Virginia’s “Question 1: Abortion” referendum has passed.

9:41 p.m. Tangent call: Virginia’s “Question 2: Marriage” referendum has passed.

9:44 p.m.: Tangent call: Virginia’s “Question 3: Voting” referendum has passed.

10:16 p.m.: All of the races I’m monitoring are now called. This concludes my live coverage, but I will continue to make periodic updates until the Virginia results are certified and the national balance of power in the Congress is determined. Here is where we stand right now:

• Associated Press projections have the U.S. Senate at 45 Democrats and 36 Republicans with 19 seats not-yet-called.
• A.P. has the U.S. House of Representatives at 107 Democrats and 62 Republicans with 266 seats not-yet-called.
• CBS and some other outlets are projecting that the Democratic Party will gain a majority in the House.

November 4, 2026, 11:54 a.m.: Some updates since last night, based on Associated Press projections and Virginia Department of Elections data:

• The U.S. Senate stands at at 54 Democrats, 44 Republicans, and 2 seats not-yet-called. This means Democrats have gained a majority in the Senate.
• The U.S. House of Representatives stands at 228 Democrats, 139 Republicans, and 68 not-yet-called. This means Democrats have also gained a majority in the House.
• Although I do not follow state-level races as closely (outside of Virginia), it is worth noting that 36 states had gubernatorial elections last night. Of those, Democrats won 22, Republicans won 12, and 2 are not-yet-called. That means Democrats have ‘flipped’ at least 5 governors’ mansions and will now lead a majority of the states (at least 28).
• Now for the Virginia “late reporters” list! Amazingly, only three Virginia jurisdictions have failed to complete their election night reporting: Bath County, Chesapeake City, and Fairfax County.

2:00 p.m.: Obviously, Democrats won big last night. Among the called races, here are some of the outcomes I find most notable so far:

• In the Texas gubernatorial race, Texas Representative Gina Hinojosa (D-49th) defeated incumbent Governor Greg Abbott (R). Texas last elected a Democratic governor thirty-six years ago (Ann Richards in 1990).
• In Texas’s U.S. Senate race, Texas Representative James Talarico (D-50th) defeated Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Texas last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate thirty-eight years ago (Lloyd Bentsen in 1988).
• In South Carolina, voters split parties in their statewide elections. In the U.S. Senate race, Annie Andrews (D) defeated incumbent Senator Darline Graham (R-SC), but in the governor’s race South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) defeated South Carolina Representative Jermaine Johnson (D-52nd).
• In Kansas, which has been reliably “red” (Republican) in recent years, Adam Hamilton (D) defeated incumbent Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) in the U.S. Senate race. The state’s gubernatorial race is not-yet-called, but Kansas Senator Cindy Holscher (D-8th) currently holds a narrow lead over Kansas Senator Ty Masterson (R-16th).
• In the Georgia gubernatorial race, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) defeated Rick Jackson (R). Bottoms is the first black woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state.
• In the Michigan U.S. Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed (D) defeated former Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI 8th). El-Sayed is the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Unfortunately, he is also an antisemite. He falsely accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, said the democratically-elected government of Israel is “as evil as Hamas,” and said “hurt people hurt people” in defense of an Islamist terrorist who attempted to bomb a Jewish preschool in Michigan.

November 5, 2026, 9:16 a.m.: Not much change since yesterday. Based on Associated Press (A.P.) and Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) calls and Virginia Department of Elections data:

• A.P. and DDHQ both have the U.S. Senate standing at 54 Democrats and 44 Republicans with 2 seats not-yet-called.
• A.P. has the U.S. House of Representatives at 240 Democrats and 147 Republicans with 48 seats not-yet-called. DDHQ, which tends to be more aggressive with their calls, has it at 251 Democrats and 153 Republicans with 34 seats not-yet-called.
• Virginia is down to just one laggard jurisdiction that has failed to fully report its election night results: Chesapeake City.

November 6, 2026, 1:25 p.m.: Updates for today:

• A.P. and DDHQ both have the U.S. Senate still standing at a Democratic Party majority of 54-44. Mississippi and Alaska are not-yet-called; Democratic Party candidates have narrow leads in both states. So far, Democratic candidates have “flipped” seven seats.
• A.P. has the U.S. House at a Democratic Party majority of 253-160 with 25 seats not-yet-called. DDHQ has it at 253-158 with 27 not-yet-called. In the A.P. results, Democrats “flipped” 43 seats and Republicans “flipped” 2, for a Democratic net-gain of 41 seats so far.
• Chesapeake City is still the only Virginia jurisdiction that has not fully reported its election night results. Its pre-election mailed absentee results are still listed as “partially reported.”

November 9, 2026, 2:43 p.m.: Updates since Friday:

• A.P., DDHQ, and most other media outlets still have the U.S. Senate at a Democratic Party majority of 54-44 with two states—Mississippi and Alaska—not-yet-called.
• A.P. now has the U.S. House at a Democratic Party majority of 254-163 with 18 not-yet-called. DDHQ has it at 254-161 with 20 not-yet-called.
• Virginia localities are starting to report their provisional and post-election absentee results. They are required to submit certified results to the state no later than Friday, November 13.
• The Virginia State Board of Elections must certify the final results no later than Monday, December 7 (the first Monday in December).

November 12, 2026, 7:19 p.m.: Updates:

• A.P., DDHQ, and most other media outlets now have the U.S. Senate at a Democratic Party majority of 55-44. The Democratic candidate continues to hold a lead in the one state not-yet-called—Alaska.
• A.P. has the U.S. House at a Democratic Party majority of 255-169 with 11 not-yet-called. DDH has it at 255-168 with 12 not-yet-called.
• Virginia localities must submit this provisional and post-election absentee results by tomorrow. Many have already done so.

November 14, 2026, 12:12 p.m.: Virginia localities were required to certify their election results and submit them to the Virginia Department of Elections yesterday. As of right now, three localities still aren’t in “Fully Reported” status: Accomack County, Bedford County, and Petersburg City.

8:49 p.m.: Regarding the balance of power in the U.S. Congress:

• All major media outlets still have the Senate at 55-44 for the Democrats and have Alaska as the only state not-yet-called.
• A.P. has the House at 256-169 for the Democrats and DDHQ has it at 256-170, but they have a different set of races called and not-yet-called.
  • If we assume that neither the A.P. or DDHQ would call a race incorrectly and their results can be merged, we land at 258-170 with 7 races not-yet called.
  • Two of the uncalled races—the 5th and 6th districts in Louisiana—will be going to head-to-head runoff elections between the Republican and Democratic candidates; Democrats had slight leads in both but there is no way to know what will happen in the runoffs.
  • Among the remaining 5 races, Democrats are slightly ahead in 4 and Republicans in 1. If those leads hold, we’d end up at 262-171, with the remaining two seats pending the outcomes of the runoff elections in Louisiana.