Featured photo: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after its restoration, June 17, 2026 (file photo). Photo: G. Edward Johnson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
President Donald Trump closed the 2026 midterm campaign by predicting Republicans would keep both the House and Senate, after a final weekend of rallies and an election-eve appearance at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, as voters cast ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3, in races that will decide control of Congress for the last two years of his term, Fox News reported. More than 54 million ballots were cast early, according to the AP.
Ballots cast early nationwide, per the AP
Campaign rally of the cycle, Salina, Kansas, by Trump’s count
Of his election-eve remarks spent on the Reflecting Pool and D.C. crime
Current Republican Senate majority
For live results as races are called, see our election tracker. Our election-eve overview of the House and Senate map is in Midterm Elections 2026: What to Watch Tuesday.
The closing pitch
Trump held his final campaign rallies Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas, where he spoke for about 90 minutes and called it his 30th rally and last stop before Election Day, CBS News reported. He backed Republican Senate candidates in both states, including Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas. Fox News reported that his endorsed candidates include Ken Paxton in Texas, Mike Rogers in Michigan and Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska. A profile of the closest Senate contests is in the 7 most contested Senate battlegrounds.
Election eve at the Reflecting Pool
On Monday, Trump announced that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool had officially reopened and spent nearly 20 minutes of his remarks there on the renovation and on crime and vandalism in Washington, Forbes reported. He said he was giving “serious consideration” to renaming the pool. The pool had closed shortly after a first reopening on June 6.
Trump has blamed vandalism for problems at the pool. The Justice Department later acknowledged in a court filing that a botched installation by a contractor was to blame, CBS News reported. Five people had been arrested for vandalism, and charges were dropped against one of them, Olympian David Hearn.
Iran on the agenda after the vote
Trump has said there will be no new attack on Iran before the midterms. In a Fox News interview, he said a deal had a very good chance but that the U.S. might have to go after the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear-linked site if there is none, Iran International reported. Overnight, a U.S. jet destroyed an Iranian missile launcher on Qeshm Island in what officials called a defensive strike; details are in today’s Middle East War Update and our Iran war tracker.
Ukraine talks next week
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said U.S.-mediated working-level talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 10-11. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Tuesday to coordinate before the talks, as we report in Kyiv loses water after Russian grid strikes. For the war’s daily numbers, see our Ukraine war tracker.
Courts and the count
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Justice Department’s emergency request to make California set aside about 20,000 mail ballots from people the government says are likely noncitizens, with no noted dissents, CBS News reported. A federal judge separately dismissed a Justice Department suit over certification of Alaska’s Senate results.
The Boston Report will not call races; we report calls made by the AP and other named news organizations. For Massachusetts, see our Boston Election Day turnout update and our politics news page.
Sources
- Fox News: Election Day 2026 live coverage
- CBS News: Candidates make final pitches in 2026 midterm campaign
- Forbes: Trump’s final major appearance before Election Day
- CBS News: Supreme Court rejects effort to separate California mail ballots
- Iran International: live blog, Nov. 3, 2026
Read next in Politics
Most read this week
- Wu Proposes Restaurant Zoning Changes to Cut Takeout Reviews
- Elected School Committee, 311 Review on Council’s Oct. 28 Agenda
- Christopher St. Plan in Fields Corner Cut to 99 Apartments
- Wu Names Ava Callender Concepcion to Lead Boston Licensing Board
- Boston Street Lighting Upgrades Hit Record 7,202 in 2026, Nearly Triple Last Year
Latest
- Africa Security Update, Nov. 3: Drones Knock Out Sudan Substations as Khartoum Takes Ethiopia to the UN
- Americas Security Update, Nov. 3: Rubio Presses Venezuela on a Phased Transition as Cuba’s Grid Falls 1,900 MW Short
- Indo-Pacific Security Update, Nov. 3: Taiwan Tracks 49 Chinese Military Aircraft, the Most This Year
- Russia-Ukraine War Update, Nov. 3: 365 Drones and Missiles Hit Ukraine’s Grid and a Kharkiv Hospital
- Middle East War Update, Nov. 3: U.S. Hits Iranian Missile Launcher on Qeshm as Iran Claims 3 Tankers Struck Mines