Midterm Elections

Midterm elections are federal elections held halfway through a president's four-year term. Every seat in the House of Representatives is on the ballot, since representatives serve two-year terms, while only about a third of the Senate is, because senators serve staggered six-year terms. The president's party almost always loses House seats in a midterm, but their popularity matters: a study found that presidents with a negative approval rating saw their party lose an average of 37 seats during midterm elections from 1946 to 2018.

Midterms historically draw far fewer voters than presidential elections, with turnout typically dropping about 15 percentage points from the previous presidential race. The last two midterms bucked that trend: In 2018, turnout reached levels not seen in more than a century, and in 2022, turnout reached the second-highest amount in modern records.

This year's midterms take place on Tuesday, November 3, with all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships on the ballot. Candidates are raising and spending money at record levels. House and Senate candidates have raised more than $2.5 billion so far this cycle, and ad spending is projected to reach $11.6 billion, surpassing the record set during the 2024 presidential election.