Election 2026 live results: Dems take back Congress, El-Sayed wins Senate seat in Michigan

ABC News can project that Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed will win his senate election against his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers. 

He will make history as this country’s first ever Muslim Senator. He faced consistent Islamophobic attacks from top Republicans, including the president. 

El-Sayed consistently led in the polls, but faced a late challenge with Rep. Haley Steven's endorsement of Rogers on Sunday, but was able to rally the party around him in the closing days. His campaign focused on issues like Medicare for all and campaign finance reform. He distinguished himself in the primary with an aggressive stance against U.S. support for Israel. 

His victory will almost certainly be used by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to argue their viability nationally and that they are the future of the party. He will join Sen. Elissa Slotkin in the Senate, giving them the interesting distinction of being two politicians who defeated the same candidate, Rogers, serving together. 

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan

GOP candidate Kurt Alme is projected to win a U.S. Senate seat representing Montana, defeating Seth Bodnar, an independent, and Democrat Alani Bankhead to replace retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines.

ABC News can project that Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will win her gubernatorial election against her Republican opponent, Rep. John James, 54%-44% with 79% of the expected vote in.

Benson consistently led the polling in this race and was favored to win. She will replace term-limited Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Benson rose to national prominence for her role in defending Michigan’s elections in 2020 against the president’s debunked claims of fraud. She made that experience central to her campaign, pitching herself as a fighter that would stand up to Trump on policies like Tariffs and healthcare cuts.

This marks the third statewide election loss for James- he lost senate races in 2018 and 2020, to Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, respectively.

-ABC News' Juhi Doshi

Democratic Senate-Elect James Talarico took the stage Tuesday evening to deafening cheers and a standing ovation from a packed auditorium, with the crowd celebrating the election of a Democratic senator from Texas for the first time in 38 years.

“We just took back Texas. We just proved that all the money in the world is no match to the people. We just showed that a politics of division is no match for a politics of love. And we just sent a message to every billionaire mega donor, every trillionaire mega donor, every corrupt defender of this broken political system. In this state, in this country, power belongs to the people,” Talarico said.

Talarico did not mention his opponent Ken Paxton's name once during his remarks, but he repeatedly stressed his mission to defeat corruption. Talarico also made a point to address Texans that did not vote for him, promising to "always" serve and fight for them.

"And to the Texans who didn't vote for me, I will be your senator too. I will always ... I will always serve you. I will always fight for you. This win is not about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. It's much bigger than that," he said.

"We united Texans from all backgrounds and beliefs under one team to take off this broken, corrupt political system. First-time voters, three-time Trump voters, working people from every corner of the state who are fed up and ready for change," he added.

Talarico continued to center his message around love and unity, emphasizing his desire to unite people and deliver change.

"People across the political spectrum are hungry for a different kind of politics: not a politics of hate, not a politics of fear, not a politics of division, but a politics of love," he said.

“We've won this race because people who are desperate for change now are going to get change," Talarico said. "That old politics is dying, and a new politics is being born through each of us."

-ABC News' Emily Chang