US midterm election 2026: Big setback for Donald Trump, what to expect in California on polling Day?

US midterm election 2026: In a setback for Donald Trump administration, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday rejected the Justice Department's request for California to set aside disputed ballots received in the midterm election. The panel's 2-1 ruling is the latest setback for the Trump administration's efforts to assert control over state-run elections.

The administration has alleged California sent ballots to some 20,000 people who may not be US citizens. It wants the state to set those ballots aside and not count them until citizenship can be verified. California disputes the accuracy of the list. A district court judge already forcefully denied that request and warned that the Justice Department's demands could disenfranchise citizens.

Elections in California

California voters will elect a new governor on Tuesday and decide a handful of House races that could swing the balance of power in Congress. Also on the ballot is a statewide measure that would impose the nation’s first-ever tax on billionaires. Polls close at 8 p.m (PT), which is 11 p.m (ET).

In the race for governor, Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton were the top vote-getters among 61 candidates in the June 2 all-party primary. Becerra is a former state attorney general and was Health and Human Services secretary under President Joe Biden. Hilton is a former Fox News commentator who once served as a senior adviser to former Conservative Party British Prime Minister David Cameron. The winner will succeed Newsom, who is term-limited.

In the race for control of the narrowly divided U.S. House, a new congressional map favorable to Democrats has complicated the reelection bids of several Republican House incumbents. Voters approved the new district boundaries in a November 2025 referendum, which was a response to President Donald Trump’s effort in Texas and other states to boost his party’s chances of keeping their House majority.

Republicans hold a slight edge in the chamber, and the new districts could net Democrats an additional five seats.

Once a reliably Republican state in the Eisenhower, Nixon and Reagan years, California hasn’t elected a Republican to statewide federal office since 1988. The party has fared better in gubernatorial elections, winning six of the last 12 elections — including one recall election — for the state’s top office, but Democrats have held the seat for the last 16 years.