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The US flag flies in front of the US Capitol dome on December 24, 2008 in Washington, DC.

The 2018 midterm elections could change American politics

A lot is at stake in the 2018 midterm elections.

Contributors: Vox Staff

The results of this year’s midterm elections will be enormously important — not just in shaping the future of Donald Trump’s presidency, but in shaping the American political landscape for many years to come.

A sprawling series of contests for Congress and in states across the country will be on the ballot this November 6th. There’s the whole House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, 36 governorships, and many state legislature seats.

Midterms tend to heavily favor the party opposing the president — but anything could happen.

524 Total Updates Since
Nov 8, 2017, 12:33pm EST
  • November 9, 2018

    There’s no evidence of voter fraud in Florida. Trump is claiming it’s happening anyway.

    By German Lopez

    Trump’s comments expose Republican "voter fraud" claims for what they really are.

  • November 9, 2018

    Black women turned electoral power into political power in 2018

    By P.R. Lockhart

    For the first time in US history, more than 20 black women will serve in Congress.

  • November 9, 2018

    Why Nancy Pelosi is still confident she’ll become House speaker

    By Ella Nilsen

    The anti-Pelosi movement is getting organized, but there isn’t a clear alternative to her yet.

  • November 9, 2018

    The betrayal of white women voters: in pivotal state races, they still backed the GOP

    By Treva B. Lindsey

    The myth of women voters as a cohesive progressive voting bloc.

  • November 8, 2018

    The Senate is a huge problem for Democrats

    By Dylan Matthews

    And it’s not going to get better soon.

  • November 8, 2018

    Governors could drive the next wave of climate change action

    By Umair Irfan

    With Congress divided, newly elected Democrat governors are poised to charge ahead with clean energy.

  • November 8, 2018

    6 years ago her son was murdered. Now Lucy McBath is heading to Congress.

    By P.R. Lockhart

    The gun control advocate and "Mother of the Movement" unseats Republican Karen Handel in Georgia’s Sixth District.

  • November 7, 2018

    The GOP can’t rely on white evangelicals forever

    By Tara Isabella Burton

    White evangelicals are still Trump’s base. But they’re in decline.

  • November 7, 2018

    Medicaid’s stunning victory

    By Sarah Kliff

    Half a million Americans could gain coverage as a result of Tuesday’s votes.

  • November 7, 2018

    With Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, West Virginia and Alabama are ready to ban abortion

    By Anna North

    On Tuesday, they joined four other states whose "trigger bans" take effect if Roe v. Wade falls.

  • November 7, 2018

    Would ex-felon voting rights have flipped Florida for Democrats? It’s possible.

    By German Lopez

    Amendment 4 restored voting rights for people with felony records. That could have flipped the state.

  • November 7, 2018

    With Democrats in control of the House, Nancy Pelosi is “confident” she’ll be the next speaker

    By Ella Nilsen

    With a successful election behind her, Pelosi is about to make her case to lead House Democrats.

  • November 7, 2018

    Progressive Democrats in competitive House districts had a bad night

    By Ella Nilsen

    Progressive energy helped moderate Democrats win on election night. But progressive candidates weren’t so lucky.

  • November 7, 2018

    Muslim women, Native Americans, and LGBTQ candidates had a night of historic wins

    By Caroline Houck

    Voters in the 2018 midterms chose to elect candidates who look, worship, and love like them.

  • November 7, 2018

    The 2018 midterm elections may have exposed a shift on gun control

    By German Lopez

    Gun control advocates didn’t get every win they wanted, but there were some big victories.

  • November 7, 2018

    What happens when women win elections

    By Danush Parvaneh

    The 2018 midterms were huge for women candidates. Here’s how they could change policy.

  • November 7, 2018

    Voters just gave nearly 1 million workers a raise in 2 red states

    By Alexia Fernández Campbell

    Ballot measures to raise the minimum wage had widespread support in Arkansas and Missouri.

  • November 7, 2018

    Scandal-plagued Republican Duncan Hunter wins with an Islamophobic campaign

    By Tara Golshan

    Hunter is under federal indictment on charges of campaign fraud.

  • November 7, 2018

    Marijuana legalization had a pretty good election night

    By German Lopez

    Full legalization won in Michigan, and medical legalization won in Missouri and Utah.

  • November 7, 2018

    Watch Trump shout down a black reporter asking him about racism

    By Zack Beauchamp

    "That’s a racist question," Trump said to PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor.

  • November 7, 2018

    Kentucky clerk Kim Davis denied same-sex couples marriage licenses. She just lost reelection.

    By German Lopez

    Davis gained national notoriety for refusing to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

  • November 7, 2018

    California and Florida both pass animal welfare laws by a landslide

    By Kelsey Piper

    Voters chose to require more space for farmed animals and to end commercial greyhound racing.

  • November 7, 2018

    Missouri voters just hiked the minimum wage by 53 percent

    By Alexia Fernández Campbell

    More than 600,000 low-wage workers will get a raise.

  • November 7, 2018

    Debbie Stabenow reelected to the Senate

    By Matthew Yglesias

    The blue wave crashes hard in Michigan.

  • November 7, 2018

    New Mexico elects Michelle Lujan Grisham as first Democratic Latina governor in the US

    By Alexia Fernández Campbell

    Education, not immigration, was the top issue for voters in this border state.