CASE Updates from Melissa Schaller, Nov. 6 2026

The CASE Collective: Election Results

On Thursday, Nov. 5, Abe Safer, Director of Government Relations for CASE, held a special CASE Collective unpacking the midterm election’s early results. Here are some highlights:

Federal Results:

• The House will have a Democratic majority with ~253 seats (plus or minus 4).

  • This means that Democrats will have 2/3 representation on committees and will hold the Speaker of the House position.

• The Senate will also have a Democratic majority. Right now they hold 54 seats and at this time, Mississippi and Alaska are not decided.

  • Interestingly, Mississippi does not have a recount process and if a Democrat is elected to the Senate, it will be the first time since 1989.

  • It is expected to take up to one month for Alaska to count all their votes due to the remoteness of the state.

  • Another note, 60 votes are needed in the Senate on an issue to avoid a filibuster.

• There will be 116-118 freshman legislators with 99 in the House and 17-19 in the Senate.

State Results:

• Across the nation, 36 governors and 6,139 legislative seats were up for election. Additionally, there are 20 (up from 16) Democratic trifectas (governor, house, and senate) across the nation with two states to be determined. It’s the biggest swing since Watergate.

• There are 21 new governors in our nation.

What could we expect as a result of the election?

Federally:

• Repairs to the Department of Education

• Reauthorization of IDEA

• Increase in education funding

• Action regarding education workforce programs

In States:

• Increases in education funding

• Increases in staff to support State Education Agencies

• Access to MA reimbursements

If you attend the CASE Collective or any of Abe's presentations, he includes a number of quotes. Two were especially meaningful to me:

• "The future of the Republic is in the hands of the American voter." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

• "You need to vote because our democracy depends on it." - Barack Obama

What do you do now?

Check out the CASE Legislative Action Center at casecec.org/action-center. You must be logged in.

Contact your legislators!

Share your stories! The CASE office is collecting membership testimonials. Please fill out the form and forward it to three of your CASE friends, asking them to do the same.

Also don't forget to register and attend Abraham Thinking. Abe Saffer, Director of Governmental Relations for CASE, continues to host Abraham Thinking on the second Tuesday of each month from 4-5pm CST. The purpose of these sessions is to keep you up-to-date on policy and politics in Washington, D.C., and around the country, provide an opportunity to ask policy and legislative questions you may have, and to share what is happening with CASE. Register on the CASE website.