Americans finished heading to polling stations on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as television networks rolled out extensive primetime election broadcasts with control of Capitol Hill and three dozen statehouses on the line.
The 2026 midterm elections will determine the makeup of the entire U.S. House of Representatives and 35 seats in the U.S. Senate, NBC News reported. In addition, 36 states and three U.S. territories are holding elections to pick their governors, according to Stony Brook University’s Center for Civic Justice.
Major Networks Begin Live Coverage
Special coverage began earlier in the afternoon, with CNN broadcasting live from Washington, D.C., anchored by Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper. NBC News launched its television coverage at 5 p.m. Eastern time with anchors Savannah Guthrie, Kristen Welker, Hallie Jackson and Tom Llamas, while initiating its streaming coverage on Peacock a half-hour later.
Fox News Channel scheduled its “Democracy 26” broadcast for 6 p.m. Eastern time, fronted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Over on MS NOW, Rachel Maddow took the helm for primetime programming starting at 6 p.m. Eastern time, with Antonia Hylton reporting from Atlanta and Alicia Menendez based in Houston, according to Variety. ABC News, CBS News and NewsNation prepared to launch their broadcast coverage at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Trump Delivers Final Pitch Ahead of Results
President Donald Trump spent Tuesday morning making a final appeal to voters during a nearly 30-minute phone interview on “Fox & Friends,” capping a campaign sprint that included 30 rallies across 20 states, RadarOnline reported.
During the interview, the 80-year-old president addressed recent U.S. military strikes on an Iranian anti-aircraft installation. When asked about potential future actions regarding Iran, Trump remarked, “I’m not looking to kill lots of people, but if we have to, we’ll have to.”
Trump also urged Americans to support Republican candidates by praising his administration’s economic record, tax cuts, border enforcement actions, and manufacturing growth, while also accusing former President Barack Obama of allowing an influx of people who hold antisemitic views.
Voters Weigh Economic Strains
On the ground, economic pressures and operational expenses played a major role in how voters decided their ballots on Tuesday. In South Carolina, coastal workers and shrimpers faced steep price spikes that influenced their political choices, Al Jazeera English reported.
Diesel prices in South Carolina climbed significantly this year, rising from $2.71 per gallon to an average record peak of $6.17 in September, according to data from AAA. Independent commercial boat operators noted that higher energy costs, paired with tariffs on imported materials and competition from overseas seafood imports, placed heavy burdens on their margins.
Federal staffing shifts also emerged as a campaign flashpoint. Federal employment data indicated that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shed approximately 20 percent of its workforce since early 2025, Al Jazeera reported. Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews campaigned on addressing fuel costs for working families and fishermen, while Republican voters cited broad concerns over federal permits, excessive regulations, and domestic energy production as reasons to support GOP candidates.
Polls began shuttering across Eastern time zone states Tuesday evening, with election tallies expected to stretch late into the night and potentially across coming days.
