Angie Nixon seeks Florida upset as Sherrod Brown pursues Ohio Senate comeback

State-by-state guide maps poll closings, House contests and governor races

The Guardian’s guide to the November 3, 2026 US midterms described Democrat Angie Nixon as progressive and said she was hoping to pull off an upset against Republican incumbent Ashley Moody in one of two special Senate elections this cycle. Former Senator Sherrod Brown was seeking a comeback after losing his 2024 race in Ohio’s second special Senate election of the 2026 midterms, attempting to unseat Republican Jon Husted.

In Georgia, first-term Democratic senator Jon Ossoff was fending off a challenge from Republican congressman Mike Collins, whom Donald Trump endorsed. In South Carolina, Darline Graham, the sister of the late senator Lindsey Graham, was seeking a full term after the state’s governor appointed her to serve the remainder of her brother’s term following his death in July. She faced pediatrician and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews. In New Hampshire, former Republican senator John Sununu was challenging Democratic congressman Chris Pappas for an open seat. The Guardian said Republicans were eyeing an opportunity to flip the seat and called the race increasingly concerning for Democrats in the campaign’s final stretch.

The guide said the November 3 election would decide control of Congress, with 35 Senate seats, 36 governor races and all 435 House seats on the ballot. Democrats needed four Senate gains for a 51-seat majority and at least 218 House wins to take both chambers. Ballot measures across the country covered election administration and abortion access, while more than 56 million Americans had cast early ballots and millions more were expected to vote on election day.

The Guardian said Republicans were fighting hard to maintain their bicameral majority despite what it called “mounting national headwinds.” It said they were contending with a number of unpopular Trump administration policies: an affordability crisis stemming from the Iran war; what it called a “deadly immigration crackdown” that has seen two American citizens killed by federal agents; a sweeping trade war; and Donald Trump’s own record-low polling.

The guide listed the first scheduled closings at 6 p.m. ET, when the majority of polling places in Indiana and Kentucky were due to close. Because parts of both states are in the central time zone, some polling places were to remain open until 7 p.m. ET. Another 6 p.m. wave was scheduled in most of Florida, Georgia, most of New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia. The remaining Indiana and Kentucky locations were due to close at 7 p.m., and North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia were scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

In North Carolina, the guide called the open Senate seat a key pickup opportunity for Democrats, with the state’s former governor Roy Cooper facing Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee. In Ohio, the Brown-Husted contest was centered in part on the fight over data centers.

At 8 p.m. ET, polling places were scheduled to close in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Illinois, most of Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, most of Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, most of North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, most of South Dakota, Tennessee and most of Texas.

Michigan’s open Senate seat pitted Democrat Abdul El-Sayed against former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. The Guardian said holding the Great Lakes state was vital for Democrats, the race was expected to be close and El-Sayed was leading in many recent polls while remaining within the margin of error.

In Maine, the guide described Troy Jackson as progressive and said it was watching whether he could unseat five-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins. In Texas, Democrats were betting on state lawmaker James Talarico, who had surged in the polls, to defeat Ken Paxton, whom the guide described as scandal-plagued Republican attorney general. A Democratic victory would mark the party’s first statewide win in more than 30 years. The Guardian called Kansas a late-breaking battleground, where Adam Hamilton was seeking to unseat Republican Roger Marshall and become the state’s first Democratic senator in nearly a century.

Several competitive down-ballot House races were in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where Democrats were hoping to flip swing seats won by Republicans in 2024. Arkansas polls were scheduled to close at 8:30 p.m. The guide said Arizona had several competitive contests, including the sixth congressional district, where Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani faced Democrat JoAnna Mendoza, a former US Marine.

In Arizona’s governor race, Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs was seeking a second term but first had to beat Republican congressman Andy Biggs, who won Donald Trump’s endorsement in the Republican primary. The guide described Iowa’s open Senate race as neck-and-neck, with Republican congresswoman Ashley Hinson facing Democratic state lawmaker Josh Turek. It said the Hawkeye state’s gubernatorial race was also shaping up to be competitive, with Democratic state auditor Rob Sand facing Republican nominee Zach Lahn.

At 9 p.m. ET, polls were also scheduled to close in Louisiana, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Any remaining polling places in North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas were due to close at that time as well.

At 10 p.m. ET, almost all polls in Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Utah were scheduled to close, along with many polling places in one Oregon county. In Nevada, the guide said Democratic attorney general Aaron Ford was hoping to unseat Republican governor Joe Lombardo in the Sun Belt battleground that Donald Trump won in 2024.

At 11 p.m. ET, polls were scheduled to close in California, where former health secretary and Democrat Xavier Becerra faced Republican Steve Hilton, a former adviser to British prime minister David Cameron. Most polls in Oregon and all polls in Washington were also scheduled to close at that time. In Washington, two-term Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who had frequently broken with her party on key issues, was seeking to hold her seat in a district Donald Trump had carried in each of the last three presidential elections.

Alaska and Hawaii were scheduled to close out the night, with most polling places in both states due to wrap up voting by midnight ET. The guide called Alaska one of Democrats’ key pickup opportunities. Former congresswoman Mary Peltola had led Republican incumbent Dan S Sullivan in recent polls, as The Guardian said frustration with the Trump administration had grown and voters contended with soaring energy prices in the wake of the Iran war. The Trump administration and Donald Trump accused Peltola and Democrats of recruiting a namesake candidate to siphon votes from Sullivan. The Justice Department sought to delay certification if the Trump-backed Sullivan lost, but a federal judge recently rejected the effort. Peltola’s campaign denied recruiting Dan J Sullivan, while a recent New York Times report suggested otherwise.