Fox News plans wall-to-wall coverage as midterm control of Congress nears vote
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Fox News plans wall-to-wall coverage as midterm control of Congress nears vote

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The gist

Fox News is mounting special coverage of the 2026 midterms, with control of the House and Senate at stake.
Races may stay undecided into Wednesday, so the network's calls and forecasts are the thing to watch.

Background

Fox News is the US cable news network whose political unit publishes the 'Power Rankings' forecasts and mounts election-night coverage; its 2026 midterm special is anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, with race calls from the Fox News Decision Desk. Control of both the House and Senate is at stake across nine battleground states, and the network has more than 20 correspondents in the field plus chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram on Capitol Hill. Its Power Rankings have been shifting in the final week, and its app was to add a 'Midterms 2026' tab with county-level maps and an AI-powered 'Election HQ' chatbot drawing on Fox News reporting.

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 29, 2026Fox News Power Rankings moved South Carolina from Lean R to Toss-up, citing polling showing Senator Graham tied at 48%-48%, as Trump headed there to campaign for her; Ohio's governor race moved from Toss-up to Lean D.
  2. Oct 31, 2026Fox News reported control of the House and Senate at stake across nine battleground states, with more than 20 Fox News Channel and FOX Business correspondents in the field and Chad Pergram reporting from Capitol Hill.
  3. Oct 31, 2026Fox News Digital and FOX Nation scheduled a 'Ruthless Live! Midterm Election Show' to stream 8-11 p.m. ET, with Fox News Radio coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET.
  4. Nov 1, 2026A Power Rankings update moved Kansas from Lean R to Toss-up and Nebraska from Likely R to Lean R; Democrats were favored in 48 seats and Republicans in 45, with seven battleground states likely to decide the majority.
  5. Nov 2, 2026Trump was scheduled to deliver his closing midterm message at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at 2 p.m. ET plus nine tele-rallies, after in-person stops in Iowa and Kansas.
  6. Nov 3, 2026Fox News' special coverage was set to begin at 6 p.m. ET, anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, with race calls and projections from the Fox News Decision Desk.

Who’s saying what

Forecast
Fox News Power Rankings put Democrats ahead in 48 seats and Republicans in 45, with seven battleground states likely to decide the Senate majority.
Official
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called Vice President JD Vance's campaign schedule 'incredibly impressive' and described him as a campaign 'workhorse'.

Still unverified

Vance's midterm schedule and his role as RNC finance chair are said to 'fuel speculation' about his political future, per Fox News reporting on insiders.

Sources

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