After two years of campaigning, the 2026 midterm election is now in the hands of the American voters.

As the ballot counting begins, Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times, offers a guide for how to understand the results.

Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times.

Background reading:

• Here are four scenarios for how the midterms could go.
• The final polls show a blue surge. Can we trust them?
• Here’s what to know about the fight for Congress.

Photo: Erin Schaff/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Warning: This episode contains strong language.

In the midterm elections, one of the regions expected to swing away from President Trump and toward Democrats is the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where life has been transformed by his administration’s crackdown on immigration.

Lynsea Garrison, a producer for “The Daily,” has been reporting on that shift and on the unlikely group leading the charge.

Guest: Lynsea Garrison, a senior producer on “The Daily.”

Background reading:

• Hispanic voters on the Texas border have soured on Mr. Trump.
• Opinion video: How Texas border voters feel ahead of the midterms.

Photo: Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ben Ratliff, a music critic and avid runner, always ran in silence. Then he discovered how music opened up to him — while running. It changed his entire approach to criticism and listening. He calls it “running the song.”

Today, for the New York City Marathon, Ben talks with our host Rachel Abrams about how his listening sharpens when he runs to music.

Then, he goes through highlights from his five-hour New York City Marathon playlist, which is designed to complement a run through the five boroughs, featuring various styles of music connected to the places on the route.

On Today’s Episode

• Ben Ratliff, a former New York Times music critic, a music professor and the author of “Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening.”

Background Listening

• Ben Ratliff’s New York City Marathon playlist

Photo: Karsten Moran for The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.