Voters hand Democrats the Senate and a projected House majority while Texas, Kansas, South Carolina and several governor races produce historic shifts.
American voters reshaped the political landscape Tuesday, giving Democrats control of the U.S. Senate and enough House victories for major news organizations to project that the party will also take control of the House of Representatives.
The results amount to a major shift in Washington after Republicans entered Election Day holding both chambers of Congress. Democrats also scored striking victories in several states that have leaned Republican for years, including Texas, Kansas and South Carolina.
The Senate changed hands after Democrats flipped a series of Republican-held seats. Among the biggest surprises was Texas, where Democratic state Rep. James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. The victory made Talarico the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
Texas had been one of the Republican Party’s most dependable large states. President Donald Trump carried it by double digits in 2024, making Tuesday’s result one of the clearest signs that the political environment had shifted.
Democrats also won a remarkable Senate race in South Carolina. Pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham, who had been serving in the seat after the death of her brother, longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham. Andrews became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from South Carolina in 28 years and the first woman elected to represent the state in the chamber.
Kansas produced another historic Democratic gain. Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, giving Democrats their first U.S. Senate victory in Kansas since 1932.
In Ohio, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown earned a return to Washington by defeating Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Husted had been appointed to the seat previously held by JD Vance after Vance became vice president.
North Carolina added another Democratic pickup. Former Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley for the seat left open by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. Democrats also successfully defended important seats, including Jon Ossoff’s seat in Georgia and the open Democratic seat in New Hampshire, where Rep. Chris Pappas defeated former Republican Sen. John Sununu.
The collection of wins was enough to end the Republican Senate majority. Republicans began the election with a 53-47 advantage, meaning Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take control.
The House was also moving to Democrats. Reuters reported that media organizations projected a Democratic majority after the party flipped Republican-held districts in several states. Republicans had entered Election Day with only a narrow advantage, leaving control vulnerable to even a modest Democratic swing.
The House result could have immediate consequences for the final two years of Trump’s term. Democratic control would give the party authority over House committees, investigations and subpoenas while making it much harder for Republicans to move legislation through Congress without Democratic support.
The election also brought major changes in state capitals. Democrats captured Republican-held governorships in Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa.
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Hinojosa will become the state’s first Latina governor and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards left office in 1995.
Georgia voters elected Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms as governor, making her the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Iowa also shifted to Democrats, where Rob Sand ended a long period of Republican control of the governor’s office.
Not every state moved in the same direction. Republicans retained important offices in several states, including the Oklahoma governorship. Some Senate, House and statewide races were also still being counted on election night, so the final size of each party’s congressional majority was not yet known.
Economic concerns appeared to play a large role in the results. The Associated Press voter survey found widespread dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. About six in 10 voters disapproved of Trump’s performance, while roughly three-quarters disapproved of Congress.
The survey also found a significant shift among younger and Hispanic voters. Roughly seven in 10 voters under 30 supported Democratic House candidates, while about six in 10 Hispanic voters backed Democrats. Those groups had been considerably more competitive between the parties in the 2024 presidential election.
Cost of living was among the strongest concerns. Reuters reported that nearly nine in 10 voters said living costs were a major factor in their decisions, with voters also expressing concern about the Iran war, corruption and the balance of power in Washington.
Ballot measures produced another set of notable results. Missouri voters rejected a proposal that would have sharply restricted abortion, while Virginia voters approved constitutional protections for reproductive freedom. Missouri voters also rejected a congressional map designed to improve Republican prospects.
California voters rejected a proposed voter identification amendment, according to the Associated Press. Other states considered measures involving property taxes, immigration enforcement, election rules and redistricting.
The scale of the Democratic gains is especially notable because Republicans spent much of the campaign trying to protect their narrow congressional majorities through favorable political conditions and, in some states, new congressional maps. Several of those efforts did not prevent Democratic candidates from winning competitive districts.
Trump had made himself a central figure in the midterm campaign and urged supporters to treat the election as if he were on the ballot. By election night, however, Republican candidates had suffered defeats in states Trump won comfortably two years earlier.
The results do not end Trump’s presidency or give Democrats complete control over federal policy. Trump remains president and retains veto power. But a Democratic Congress would sharply change the balance in Washington, limiting the administration’s ability to advance legislation without negotiations with the opposition party.
Final vote counts will continue in several states, and the exact House and Senate margins may take additional time to settle. What is already clear is that the 2026 midterm election produced a substantial shift in power, with Democrats gaining control of Congress and winning several of the night’s most unexpected statewide races.
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