US 2026 Election Results: Democrats Capture Congress In Midterms — Win Senate, House In Rebuke To Trump

Tens of millions of voters delivered a scathing rebuke to President Donald Trump in Tuesday’s midterm elections as Democrats are projected to win majority control of the House and Senate, according to US media.

Democrats are projected to win majority control of the House, having flipped at least eight Republican seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina.

Democrats Roy Cooper, Annie Andrews, Sherrod Brown, Adam Hamilton, James Talarico and Josh Turek won six Senate seats previously held by Republicans, exceeding the four-seat net gain needed to take control of the chamber, according to projections.

The Democratic blue wave reflected voters’ deep frustration with Trump’s handling of the economy and his decision to launch a war against Iran, which sent gasoline prices sharply higher.

Trump said he’ll accept the midterm results, blaming Republican losses on the fact that he was not on the ballot.

Democrats Win Control Of Senate

Democrats cemented control of the Senate with an upset victory in Iowa.

It was the latest in a succession of victories in Republican bastions like Kansas, Texas and South Carolina that gained Democrats six seats in the chamber.

Democrats could lose both of the seats they are defending in Michigan and Minnesota and still have enough to have a majority in the Senate.

In Texas, where Democrats have not won a statewide office in more than 30 years, Democrat James Talarico decisively defeated Trump’s chosen candidate, Ken Paxton.

In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated incumbent Republican Darline Graham, who had been handpicked by Trump to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham after he died this year.

And in Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown claimed a seat that two years ago was held by Vice President JD Vance.

Together, those victories illustrated the scale of Democratic gains Tuesday.

Trump won South Carolina by 18 percentage points two years ago and Kansas by 16 percentage points.

House In Sight

In a victory speech, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he and his fellow Democrats will work to help communities all across the country, including those in which Republicans were long dominant.

“Today begins the great American comeback,” Jeffries said.

“The American people have spoken and made clear that they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption. They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people,” he said.

He focused his remarks on the need to address the high costs of housing and healthcare and protecting the Social Security retirement program.

He also attacked the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill” enacted by Trump and congressional Republicans that requires huge cuts in spending on the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor and disabled.

With Democrats capturing a majority in the House of Representatives, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York is in line to become the next speaker of the House, which ranks second in the presidential line of succession after the vice president.

But he would still need to secure the support of a majority of House members in a formal vote to win the position.

If elected in that vote, Jeffries, who is currently the House Democratic leader, would become the first Black American to serve as speaker of the House.

He would have the power to direct House committees to launch investigations into a range of controversial activities by Trump and his associates.

Other Historic Wins

Democratic former Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, now senator-elect, has made history as the second Black woman elected to the US Senate from Illinois. Her victory means three Black women will serve in the Senate simultaneously for the first time in US history.

Democrat Josh Turek won Iowa’s Senate race, defeating Trump-backed Republican Ashley Hinson to become the state’s first Democratic senator in more than a decade.

Turek campaigned on affordability and fighting corruption and criticized Hinson’s support for Trump’s 2025 tax law, which included Medicaid and food assistance cuts.

Democrat Gina Hinojosa is projected to defeat Republican Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, ending 32 years of Republican control of the governor’s office.

Adam Hamilton won the US Senate race in Kansas, ousting Trump-backed Republican Roger Marshall to become the state’s first Democrat elected senator in 94 years.

Democrat Sherrod Brown won Ohio’s special US Senate election, ousting Republican incumbent Jon Husted, boosting his party’s chances of winning a majority in the chamber.

Democratic candidate Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the race to become Ohio’s next governor.

Trump told The New York Times he would accept the midterm election results and is willing to work with Democrats, blaming Republican losses on the fact that he was not on the ballot.

“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” he said. “We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out.”