CBS News announced on September 30, 2026, that it will integrate real-time prediction market data from Kalshi into its midterm election coverage. Kalshi, a platform regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, allows users to trade contracts based on real-world outcomes. These prices will be displayed alongside traditional polling data.
Data from Kalshi as of October 2026 indicates a 63% probability for Democrats to control the Senate and a 91% probability for the House. Specific races have also attracted significant capital, with the Texas Senate contest recording $16.43 million in trading volume and the Maine Senate race reaching $10.91 million.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between September 30 and October 5, 2026, among 4,506 US adults, revealed that 60% of respondents oppose election betting. The disapproval is bipartisan, with 69% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans expressing opposition. Additionally, 65% of those polled oppose betting on military actions, and 63% oppose wagering on government policy decisions.
Kalshi has previously established partnerships with CNN and CNBC in 2025 and the Associated Press earlier in 2026. Following the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Skydance on October 6, 2026, both CBS News and CNN are now under the same ownership, consolidating the distribution of Kalshi's prediction data across these major networks.
