Democrats Capture Both Chambers of Congress in Midterm Sweep

Democrats took control of the House and Senate on Tuesday, ending a two-year period of unified Republican governance. The party flipped districts in Texas, Ohio, and Kansas that had voted Republican for decades. These results follow a national poll showing three-quarters of voters felt angry or dissatisfied with the country's direction.

In Texas, James Talarico defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat to win statewide office in the state in more than 30 years. Annie Andrews upset Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, while Adam Hamilton ousted Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas. Sherrod Brown defeated Senator Jon Husted in Ohio, and Roy Cooper won an open seat in North Carolina. Josh Turek beat Representative Ashley Hinson in Iowa, reversing a previously all-Republican delegation in that state.

Susan Collins, the Republican senator from Maine, lost to Democrat Troy Jackson. Jackson has described the situation in Gaza as genocide, a claim Israel denies, and called for ending US aid to Israel. Abdul El-Sayed won an open Senate seat in Michigan, becoming the first Muslim senator. He defeated Mike Rogers, who portrayed the Egyptian American candidate as a religious extremist during the campaign.

President Donald Trump posted on social media before West Coast polls closed that he was not on the ballot. He wrote that he would have won in a landslide if he had been and vowed to veto legislation from the new Democratic Congress. In an interview on Fox News, he said voters did not like the Republican candidates. He previously warned of noncitizen voting and filed lawsuits in Alaska and California.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans would not stand idly by as Democrats attempt to unwind their work. House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is set to become the first Black House speaker, called for transformational change. Jeffries outlined a 100-day agenda focused on lowering the cost of living and conducting aggressive oversight of the administration.

Party leaders indicated they would investigate top administration officials and how President Trump enriched his family. Impeachment of Trump and Cabinet members remains possible, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and former adviser Elon Musk named as potential targets. In the House, Democrats gained seats in Iowa, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Utah.

Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott in Texas, capping his bid for a fourth term. Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia will become the first Black female governor of any state. Byron Donalds of Florida became the first Black Republican elected governor. Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. Democrats Josh Shapiro, JB Pritzker, Wes Moore, Maura Healey, and Kathy Hochul won reelection in their respective states.