100 day sprint to the midterms kicks off as Republicans and Democrats clash for control across the country

The 2026 midterm elections are 100 days away as Republicans and Democrats will battle in Congress and statehouses across the country for control over the future of the country in what is expected to be a contentious and expensive campaign season.

Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, controlling the House with a razor-thin 218-212 edge, with one independent and four vacancies, and the Senate with a 53-47 advantage, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.

With every House seat and 35 Senate seats on the ballot, Democrats need a net gain of just six House seats to reclaim the speaker's gavel and four Senate seats to win back the upper chamber, making even a handful of competitive races capable of reshaping the balance of power in Washington.

The latest Fox News Power Rankings suggest a tough road ahead for Republicans as they go up against the historical headwind of the party not in power usually performing well in midterm elections but the GOP will be bolstered in the House by redistricting wins in states like Florida and Texas.

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"We are in a prime position to win it in November," Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters told Fox News this week. "Under Biden we had some of the highest inflation ever. Gas prices were high. And this president has gone to bat for average Americans every single day, starting with ‘Working Family Tax Cuts,’ no tax on tips, overtime, social security. The fact that he’s been going to bat for the American worker, bringing record setting investments. The fact that he closed the border down."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), has been focusing on the economy and affordability in its messaging over the last few days as they promote Democrats in House races.

"From groceries to gas to health care, House Republicans have bled Americans’ wallets dry with their cost-raising agenda," DCCC Spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre said in a press release. "Voters are exhausted by all the bad news vulnerable House Republicans have created, and the DCCC is working to make sure voters know they can hold Republicans accountable on Election Day."

If the election were today, 53% of voters would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 46% the Republican," a Fox News poll released this week showed. That 7-point edge is just outside the poll’s margin of error.

Democrats were up by 5 points in April. Notably, 53% is the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996.

But helping the GOP in the battle for the House majority: the mid-decade redistricting fight over the past year between the two parties, which created roughly 10 additional right-leaning congressional districts.

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In the Senate, Republicans are looking to hold on to seats in Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Maine with record amounts of spending already pouring into those states as Democrats hope to capitalize on the historic, economic, foreign policy, and anti-incumbent mood among voters.

The upcoming November clash comes as the Democratic Party deals with a socialist wave of candidates taking more and more control and winning primary races across the country, causing headaches for establishment Democratic leaders like Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top two Democrats in Congress.

Just 50% of voters have a positive view of capitalism, down from a high of 57% in 2019, Fox News polling shows. For socialism, it’s 30% favorable, up from 27% last year but below the 32% who said the same in 2021. The Democratic Socialists of America are viewed positively by 31%.

By an 11-point margin, more Democrats have a favorable opinion of socialism (52%) than capitalism (41%), while by a 50-point margin, more Republicans have a positive view of capitalism (61%) than socialism (11%).

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Republicans are hoping to capitalize on the socialist rise within the Democratic Party, particularly after the socialist victories in New York City that rocked the political landscape in recent months. 

"Democrats want to export New York’s ‘commie corridor’ to a state near you, bringing crippling tax hikes, dismantled law enforcement, and bloated government spending with it," NRSC National Press Secretary Bernadette Breslin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Americans will reject Democrats’ socialist spending spree this November and elect Republicans committed to advancing an affordability agenda that keeps the American Dream within reach."

NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital that Republicans have the "momentum" and over the next 100 days, House Democrats will "spend every day trying to explain away their radical socialist record and why they opposed tax relief for working families, stronger border security, voter ID, and countless common-sense policies Americans overwhelmingly support."

The RNC enters the final 100 days before the 2026 midterms with a significant financial advantage over its Democratic counterpart. According to the latest Federal Election Commission filings, the RNC has roughly $125.5 million in cash on hand, compared to about $14.9 million for the Democratic National Committee, which is also carrying approximately $18 million in debt.

While Democrats remain competitive through their congressional campaign committees and strong fundraising by individual candidates, the national party apparatus currently favors Republicans by a wide margin.

"So why does the DNC have less cash on hand than some expect?" DNC Chair Ken Martin wrote in a memo this week. "Because we made a conscious decision to invest money in the work required to win in 2025, 2026 and beyond. We are converting the cash we raise into electoral assets: more people, earlier organizing, better technology, and stronger state parties."

Martin continued, "That answer may be unsatisfying to people who believe the purpose of a political party is to accumulate the largest possible bank balance until the final days before an election. But a party is not a savings account. Its purpose is to build power."

Beyond Capitol Hill, control of governors' mansions is also up for grabs as Republicans currently hold 26 governorships to Democrats' 24, with 36 states electing governors this November, including a number of battlegrounds that will shape redistricting, election administration and state policy for years to come.

The results will help determine whether President Donald Trump enters the second half of his term with a Republican governing trifecta or faces a divided government that could dramatically alter the trajectory of his legislative agenda.

"We are nearly 100 days until Election Day, and the stakes for governor's races across the country have never been higher," Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Chair and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said in a press release this week.

"Donald Trump and Republican candidates for governor have a harmful, cost-raising agenda that is making life harder at every turn – and doing everything in their power to restrict our fundamental freedoms. But Democratic governors know how to fight back, and the DGA has the record to prove it."

Republican Governors Association (RGA) spokesperson Kollin Crompton said in a statement to Fox News Digital that "the contrast couldn't be clearer" between the two parties 100 days out from the midterms.

"Republican governors are leading the nation in jobs, wage growth, affordability, safety, and opportunity. Democrat governors are leading in higher taxes, higher costs, rising crime, and families fleeing their states," Krompton said. "It's common sense versus crazy. Results versus excuses. And we'll spend every day until Election Day reminding voters which party is delivering."

Several findings in the latest Fox News Poll show voters are unhappy and want major change, which bodes well for Democrats in November: President Donald Trump’s job approval remains near a record low, more Democrats are motivated to vote, Republicans join Democrats and independents in rating the economy negatively, and 4 in 10 voters want "dramatic" or "revolutionary" change. Plus, more view the GOP as tied to elites than the Democratic Party.

Voters say Democrats can better handle income inequality (+22 points), healthcare (+21), inflation (+10), the economy (+9), and foreign policy (+7). Republicans hold the advantage on crime (+7 points), while government spending (Democrats +3) and national security (R +2) are more evenly divided. On immigration, the GOP had an 8-point edge in April. Now, Democrats are preferred by one point.

More Democrats (68%) say they are extremely motivated to vote in November than Republicans (57%) by an 11-point margin. By a 25-point spread, more MAGA Republicans (66%) are extremely motivated than non-MAGA Republicans (41%).

Fox News’s Dana Blanton and Remy Numa contributed to this report.