Four types of House races to watch on election night to know how it might go

As polls close on Election Day and results start rolling in, these are some of the House races that will help explain how the midterms are unfolding.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/3000x2000!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe2%2F4f%2Fb6eacfb74ef6baae4d33962f3a5c%2Fgettyimages-2301268276.jpg' alt='People cast their ballots on the first day of early voting for the midterm elections, in New York, on Oct. 24, 2026.'/><p>As polls close on Election Day and results start rolling in, these are some of the House races that will help explain how the midterms are unfolding. </p><p>(Image credit: Ryan Murphy)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-151305' />