Last updated: November 5, 2026, 12:10 a.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: the counties of Bath, Chesapeake, and Fairfax.

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.