How many Senators are elected in the U.S. Election, who controls the Senate, and when are the Midterms?

The 2024 United States elections on Tuesday will of course determine the president and vice president. However, also up for election are the 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate.

Members of the House serve just two-year terms, so all seats are up for election during every presidential election year as well as every midterm election year. Members of the Senate, however, serve six-year terms, which are staggered. Every two years, during each midterm and presidential election year, one-third of the Senate is elected.

The 2024 U.S. Senate - who has the control?

Every state has two Senators, regardless of the state’s size or population, so there are 100 U.S. Senators in total. In this year’s November election, control of 34 of the 100 Senate seats will be decided. 26 are seeking re-election this year (15 Democrats, nine Republicans, and two independents).

Currently, the Senate is just narrowly controlled by the Democrats, 51-49 (and the House is narrowly controlled by the Republicans, 220-212). The Democratic control is partly due to three independents who caucus with the Democrats.

However, the Senate control is predicted to flip to the Republicans next year, as there are seven battleground states in which Democrats are defending seats in conservative or swing states - Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Based on current polling, the Republicans have more than a 60% chance of winning the Senate.

When is the next midterm election?

The midterm elections occur halfway between presidential elections. The most recent were in November 2022 and the next one will be held on November 3, 2026, when 33 of the 100 Senate seats will be contested.