US midterm results 2026: Democrats win the House and Senate, and what changes now
Democrats won both chambers of Congress on November 3, 2026, flipping seven Senate seats and the Texas governorship. Key results and what changes for Trump.
The essentials: Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the US midterm elections of Tuesday, November 3, 2026, according to projections by CBS News and NBC News. They flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, from Maine to Texas, and took several governorships, including Texas. From January, Donald Trump will face a Congress run by the opposition for the last two years of his term.
How big is the Democratic win?
In the House, where 218 seats make a majority, Democrats crossed that line on election night, Yahoo News reports. Early on November 4, NBC News projected they would hold at least 255 seats. Republicans went into the vote with a narrow majority.
In the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of four seats. CBS News and NBC News list seven Republican seats that changed hands:
| State | Winner (Democrat) | Defeated (Republican) |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | Troy Jackson | Susan Collins |
| North Carolina | Roy Cooper | Michael Whatley |
| Ohio | Sherrod Brown | Jon Husted |
| Iowa | Josh Turek | Ashley Hinson |
| Kansas | Adam Hamilton | Roger Marshall |
| Texas | James Talarico | Ken Paxton |
| South Carolina | Annie Andrews | Darline Graham |
Sources: CBS News, NBC News, Yahoo News. Projections as of the morning of November 4, 2026.
Several of these wins break long streaks. Adam Hamilton is the first Democrat elected senator in Kansas since 1932, CBS News notes, and James Talarico the first Texas Democrat elected to the Senate since 1988. Democrats also held Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed beat Mike Rogers, Georgia (Jon Ossoff), New Hampshire (Chris Pappas) and Minnesota (Peggy Flanagan).
Two Senate races were still open on Wednesday morning. In Alaska, Dan Sullivan (Republican) and Mary Peltola (Democrat) were too close to call. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith by 28 votes with 97% of ballots counted, NBC News and Yahoo News report.
Which governors changed?
The biggest shock came in Texas, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott. CNBC says she will be the state’s first Democratic governor since Ann Richards left office in 1995.
| State | Winner | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Gina Hinojosa (D) | Defeated Greg Abbott |
| Ohio | Amy Acton (D) | First woman elected governor of Ohio (Yahoo News) |
| Georgia | Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) | First Black woman elected governor in US history (Yahoo News) |
| Iowa | Rob Sand (D) | Gain from Republicans |
| California | Xavier Becerra (D) | First Latino to be elected to the post (CalMatters) |
| New Mexico | Deb Haaland (D) | First Native American governor, 57% to 43% (KRWG) |
| Florida | Byron Donalds (R) | Defeated David Jolly |
In California, the Associated Press declared Becerra the winner against Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host. With nearly half the votes counted, Becerra had 65% to Hilton’s 34%, CalMatters reports.
Why did voters turn against the Republicans?
Exit polls point to discontent with the president. CBS News puts Trump’s approval at 38%, the lowest it has recorded for a president in a midterm. According to NBC News, 62% of voters disapprove of him. Prices and the cost of living, the war with Iran and tariffs were among the issues voters cited. In Maine, 69% of voters said tariffs had harmed their local economy, according to CBS News. CNBC adds that voters raised concerns about corruption and the influence of billionaires. Elon Musk, who spent heavily for Republicans, joked online: “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now.”
Trump said he was “a little bit surprised” and added: “I thought they’d do better,” CBS News reports. Asked whether he would accept the results, he replied: “Yes, sure I’ll accept them. Why wouldn’t I?” On social media, he argued that his absence from the ballot explained the defeat.
What changes for Trump from January?
The new Congress takes office in January. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is the favourite to become Speaker, Yahoo News reports, and Nancy Pelosi has backed him. “America is back,” he said, according to CBS News. In the Senate, Chuck Schumer could become majority leader in place of Republican John Thune. “Against all odds, we Democrats have won the Senate,” Schumer said.
With both chambers, Democrats will be able to block parts of Trump’s legislative agenda, reject his nominees and step up congressional oversight of his administration, according to Yahoo News and CNBC. Thune warned on X that “Senate Republicans will not stand idly by”.
For background on the campaign, read our guides to Election Day and poll closing times and to the record early vote, as well as our look at the Texas Senate race.
