The Democrats have won majorities in both the House and the Senate in the United States midterm elections. Projections first handed control of the House to the opposition party. Then, as results came in from the closely contested states, control of the Senate followed. Donald Trump now faces the second half of his term with both chambers of Congress in Democratic hands.
The first results came in from Indiana and Kentucky. In Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff held onto his Senate seat. Shortly after came the first decisive flip, in North Carolina, where former governor Roy Cooper wrested a seat from the Republicans. Democrats needed three more to secure the majority.
The first projection awarding the House to the Democrats came from Decision Desk HQ. Republican Mike Johnson, the outgoing Speaker, acknowledged the loss of the majority. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries was re-elected and is poised to become the first African American to hold the role of Speaker.
In the Senate, the most closely watched result came from Texas. James Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative, defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had Trump’s backing. It is the first time since 1988 that a Democrat has won a US Senate race in the state.
Kansas flipped after an even longer wait. According to Decision Desk HQ, Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Roger Marshall, securing a seat the Democrats had not held since 1932. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews won, while in Ohio Sherrod Brown returned to the Senate by defeating Jon Husted, according to CNN.
As Decision Desk HQ and NBC called the Senate majority for the Democrats, vote counting continued elsewhere. In Maine, outgoing Republican Senator Susan Collins conceded defeat to Troy Jackson. In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek defeated Ashley Hinson.
Trump watched the results unfold from the East Room of the White House. As counting was still underway, he wrote on X: “If my name had been on the ballot, I would have won in a landslide.” In an interview with The New York Times, he later said: “I am absolutely willing to accept the results.” He added: “We will work with the Democrats, we look forward to working together with them. We’ll probably reach an agreement.”
The vote also reshaped leadership in several states. In Texas, according to CNN, Gina Hinojosa defeated outgoing Governor Greg Abbott, returning Democrats to the state’s helm for the first time since 1995. In Iowa, NBC projections gave the win to Rob Sand, the first Democrat to claim the office since 2006.
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won, according to NBC. In California, the Associated Press called the race to succeed Gavin Newsom for Xavier Becerra. In Florida, the state remained in Republican hands with Byron Donalds, the first African American elected governor there.
