US Midterms 2026: Democrats Win Control of the Senate, Close In on the House
Democrats seized the US Senate on election night, flipping Republican-held seats including Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Maine, and were edging towards a House majority.
The Democratic Party has taken control of the United States Senate after Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to projections by The Associated Press, and was moving closer to a majority in the House of Representatives as counting continued into Wednesday morning India time.
Going into the vote, Republicans held 53 of the 100 Senate seats. Democrats needed a net gain of at least three seats, and by early Wednesday they had won several races in states long seen as safe or leaning Republican.
Seats that changed hands
- Texas: Democrat James Talarico won the Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton, a result that stunned Republicans.
- Maine: Troy Jackson unseated Republican Susan Collins, who had represented the state in the Senate for nearly 30 years.
- North Carolina: Former governor Roy Cooper won the open Republican-held seat.
- Iowa: Josh Turek’s victory was among the results that sealed the Democratic majority.
- Ohio and Kansas were also listed among the Democratic gains.
In Georgia, Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff held his seat, defeating Republican Representative Mike Collins.
What it means for Trump
The results are being read as a sharp rebuke of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda. Reporting from across the country pointed to voter frustration over high prices, the war involving Iran and concerns about corruption. Trump, who held rallies almost daily in the final month of the campaign, said he was not on the ballot and blamed the candidates. He also said he would veto Democrat-backed legislation, while indicating in a television interview that he would accept the outcome.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described the night as a “generational remake of the Senate map”. With control of at least one chamber, Democrats are expected to use committee powers to open investigations into members of the administration during Trump’s last two years in office.
House still being counted
All 435 House seats were on the ballot. Before the election, Republicans held a narrow majority. Democrats had crossed 200 seats by early Wednesday and were on course to reach the 218 needed for control, though the final count may take time in states such as California.
Elsewhere, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the race for Ohio governor.
Featured image: Photo: Diliff, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Related
Amy Acton Defeats Vivek Ramaswamy to Become Ohio’s First Woman Governor
Three Rebel AAP MLAs From Punjab Join BJP Ahead of 2027 Assembly Polls
