US midterms: 3 days left – What the latest polls say as early voting increases | News 2026 US midterm elections

Three days before the US midterm elections, Democrats are leading national polls as millions of Americans cast their ballots early.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced he will continue his campaigns in Kansas and Iowa as the two parties make their final offensive before Election Day on Tuesday.

Here’s what you need to know:

What do the midterm polls say in the United States?

According to the latest national congressional voting average from RealClearPolling, Democrats still lead Republicans by 8.2 percentage points. Democrats lead 51.4 percent to 43.2 percent.

A separate Economist/YouGov survey released Thursday found that 44 percent of registered voters expect Democrats to control the House of Representatives after the election, compared to 31 percent who expect Republicans to maintain control.

Expectations were much higher for the Senate, with 39 percent expecting a Democratic majority and 36 percent expecting a Republican majority.

Kyle Kondik, editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told Al Jazeera that the Democratic lead in national polls suggests a different picture for the two chambers.

“A large Democratic lead in generic House polls suggests the House is almost certain to swing toward the Democrats,” Kondik said.

“However, that doesn’t mean the Senate will flip – that’s certainly possible, but it’s much more up in the air.”

How many Americans have already voted?

More than 43 million Americans had voted early in person or returned their absentee ballots five days before Election Day, according to an Associated Press analysis released Friday.

That’s nearly 10 million more than at the same time before the 2022 midterm elections, with some of the largest increases in states with competitive Senate elections.

In Texas, more than 6.3 million people had voted early Wednesday, compared to 4.2 million at the same time in 2022, an increase of 50 percent.

Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle reported Friday from Houston that voters continued to arrive at polling places as the state’s early voting period drew to a close.

In Georgia, more than 2.5 million ballots had been cast as of Friday morning, surpassing the 2.3 million recorded during the 2022 early voting period, according to Al Jazeera’s Matthew Torres.

Torres reported long lines at an Atlanta polling place and increased turnout among young voters.

“We all really want a better future for everyone, especially the next generation,” one young voter told Al Jazeera.

Another young voter cited social media as one of the reasons for increased interest in the election. “Definitely social media. Social media and the media put the vote in the spotlight,” the voter said.

Democratic political strategist Celinda Lake said many voters are looking for change.

“You have a lot of voters who say, ‘I’m going to do a Hail Mary for change, but I hope you do something,'” she said.

Early voting also increased by more than 30% compared to the same period in 2022 in Maine, Michigan, North Carolina and Kansas, according to the AP analysis.

However, early turnout figures do not show which candidates voters chose or what the final results will be.

What happened during the election campaign in the last 24 hours?

Trump reversed his decision to cancel two weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa, with the White House confirming both events would take place on Sunday.

The rallies had been canceled Thursday as the White House said Trump would participate in nearly 20 telephone campaign events.

But less than a day later, the president put the rallies back on his schedule.

Al Jazeera’s Tanya Nouri reported that Trump’s campaign team views his personal appearances as a way to mobilize Republican voters.

“He has the energy to go back to gathering in person on Sunday,” Nouri said, citing his campaign sources.

She also said Trump’s team believes his appearances have a boosting effect on Republican supporters, particularly in states where Republicans are running for Senate seats against strong opposition.

Trump also campaigned Friday in Florida, where Republicans are defending their Senate and gubernatorial seats.

“You have to vote. Bad things happen when you’re too confident, right? So let’s pretend they’re down by one point,” Trump told the rally crowd.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico were focusing their final campaign efforts on Houston, according to Al Jazeera’s Lavelle.

Paxton canceled an event in El Paso to focus on Harris County, Texas’ most populous county, as early voting was winding down.

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for the Democratic Party in Mississippi on Friday.

He also urged people to vote.

“I can’t tell you how many people I care about lost in Mississippi because of those who didn’t vote at all,” Clinton said.

Where will Trump and the Democrats campaign this weekend?

Trump is expected to hold back-to-back rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday. In Iowa, he is expected to support Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, then head to Kansas, where he will campaign with Sen. Roger Marshall.

Recent polls have shown competitive Senate elections in traditionally Republican states. In Kansas, Marshall faces a tough race against his Democratic challenger, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton.

An Emerson College poll suggests Hamilton leads with 49 percent support, while Marshall has 45 percent. Democrats are also making their final appeals to voters. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear will join Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton at a campaign event.

Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola is also expected to attend a rally in Bethel, Alaska.

The Alaska Senate race is one of seven key matchups that will likely decide whether Republicans maintain their majority in Congress’ upper chamber.

The race was complicated by a dispute involving two candidates named Dan Sullivan. Trump accused Democrats of recruiting an independent candidate with the same name as the Republican senator to confuse voters and withdraw support.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit over the dispute, while Peltola has denied any involvement in the alleged recruitment effort.

Separately, Republican candidate Mike Rogers is also expected to campaign with House Speaker Mike Johnson this weekend.