Explainer: Key election races in the battle to control the U.S. Congress

Voice of America · VOA News · 2026-11-03 17:46 UTC

Among the races to watch are seats in three districts that Republicans won in 2024, but also where a majority of voters supported Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

There are 470 total seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that are up for election in November, but control of both chambers will likely be determined by a small group of competitive races. Democrats and Republicans each have a certain block of seats that they consider safe, with long hoping to get a w standing patterns of voters in those districts supporting one party or the other.

That leaves the so-called battleground areas where either party could win. These are the areas where the two major parties have spent millions of dollars in and in turn deliver an important House or Senate majority.

Key Senate races

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