Newsletters
Democrats regained control of the U.S. Senate with 51 seats and were projected to win the House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections, dealing a major setback to President Donald Trump's Republican Party and putting the opposition on course to control both chambers of Congress.
According to preliminary results reported by The Associated Press (AP), Democrats flipped six Republican-held Senate seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, securing the 51 seats needed for a majority in the 100-member chamber.
In the House, AP had called 173 seats for Democrats and 106 for Republicans, with Democrats flipping nine Republican-held seats. Although the party had not yet reached the 218-seat threshold needed for a majority in AP's race calls, CNN and CNBC projected that Democrats would win control of the chamber.
The results give Democrats control of the Senate and, if the House projections hold, both chambers of Congress during the final two years of Trump's presidency, allowing them to challenge his legislative agenda, launch congressional investigations and exercise greater influence over senior administration and judicial appointments.
The elections were widely viewed as a test of Trump's second-term presidency, with voter dissatisfaction over rising living costs, tariffs and the economic consequences of the U.S. war against Iran weighing on Republicans.
Democrats secured Senate victories in six states previously represented by Republicans, reversing the party's minority status in the upper chamber.
Among the night's most notable results was South Carolina, where Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham, according to media projections.
Graham, who had Trump's backing, was appointed to replace her brother, longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, following his death in July.
The result marked the first Democratic Senate victory in the traditionally Republican state since 1998.
In North Carolina, former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, a former Republican National Committee chairman endorsed by Trump.
Democrats also captured Republican-held seats in Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, bringing the number of seats flipped from Republicans to six, according to AP's preliminary results.
The party successfully defended other closely watched Senate seats.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff won reelection, while Chris Pappas secured victory in New Hampshire, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.
With Democrats reaching 51 seats, the party reclaimed the majority from Republicans, giving it greater influence over the legislative process and the confirmation of presidential nominees.
Democrats also gained ground in the House, where projections from CNN and CNBC pointed to a change in control.
According to AP's preliminary race calls, Democrats had secured 173 seats, compared with 106 for Republicans, with many races still awaiting final results.
The opposition party had flipped nine Republican-held seats, including victories in districts that had previously favored Trump's party.
In Indiana, Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz in a district Trump carried by 17 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Political analysts had identified a Democratic victory in the district as a possible early indication of a broader electoral shift.
Democrats also captured a Republican-held House seat in North Carolina, while results in Florida suggested that redrawn congressional boundaries had not delivered the gains Republicans had anticipated.
Among other races called by AP, Democratic Reps. Joyce Beatty, Emilia Sykes and Shontel Brown secured victories in Ohio, while Democrat Suhas Subramanyam won Virginia's 10th Congressional District.
Republican S. Guthrie won Kentucky's 2nd District, and Republican Sydney Gruters was elected in Florida's 16th District.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were also reelected.
All 435 House seats were contested in Tuesday's elections, with 218 required for a majority.
Beyond Congress, Democrats recorded another major victory in Georgia, where former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governorship, ending 24 years of Republican control.
Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history.
Republicans, meanwhile, retained several important offices despite competitive races.
Trump-backed Byron Donalds won Florida's governorship, becoming the state's first Black governor, while Republican Ashley Moody retained a Senate seat.
Ossoff described the Democratic victories as a rejection of Trump's "depravity, corruption and incompetence."
A White House official told AFP that the mood surrounding Trump was "defiant" despite the emerging election results.
The official warned that the president would resist the "radical left" regardless of the outcome.
"Buckle up," the official said.
Democratic control of the House would allow congressional committees to investigate the administration's handling of the war against Iran, mass deportations and allegations of corruption.
It would also complicate Trump's efforts to advance his legislative agenda.
If Democrats also gain control of the Senate, they would have greater power to block the president's judicial nominees and senior administration appointments.
Trump had already acknowledged the possibility of governing with an opposition-controlled Congress.
"I veto everything," he said in a podcast released Monday, although he later acknowledged that he might eventually negotiate agreements with Democrats.
The elections took place against a backdrop of public dissatisfaction over rising living costs, tariffs and the economic consequences of the U.S. war against Iran.
The conflict has contributed to sharply higher fuel prices, while Trump's approval ratings have remained near record lows.
For many voters, household expenses were a central concern.
"Rent, groceries, utility bills, and property taxes keep climbing, and I want people in Congress who will actually do something about costs," Taylor Cook, a 24-year-old voter in Los Angeles, told AFP.
1 min read
Trump defended his administration's record in a final television appearance Tuesday, praising his tariff policies, immigration enforcement measures and military campaign against Iran.
"We have to keep America great. We're great now. We were terrible two years ago," the 80-year-old president told Fox News.
Americans voted Tuesday to elect all 435 House members and 35 of the Senate's 100 members, alongside governors and other state and local officials.
The House is elected every two years, while senators serve six-year terms, with roughly one-third of Senate seats contested every two years.
Although several major races had been called, the final balance of power in Congress remained dependent on outstanding results, particularly in the Senate.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
