Democrats seize Congress in sweeping midterm repudiation of Trump
Democrats seized control of both the Senate and the House on Tuesday, scoring sweeping victories in Republican strongholds for the first time in generations as tens of millions of voters delivered a scathing rebuke to President Donald Trump.
Voters in conservative bastions who had propelled Trump to a second term just two years ago swung dramatically towards Democrats, driven by deep frustration over the unpopular war with Iran, anxiety over the rising cost of living and anger at his handling of the country.
Kansas elected its first Democratic senator since the Great Depression nearly a century ago. In South Carolina, a state Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024, Democrats defeated his hand-picked Senate candidate.
In Texas, the largest Republican stronghold, Democrats ended a decades-long losing streak in a seismic shift, winning a Senate seat and unseating three-term Governor Greg Abbott.
The results will usher in a new era of divided government in Washington after two years in which the Republican-controlled Congress rarely exercised its power to rein in Trump.
Once sworn in in January, Democrats are expected to use their newfound power to investigate Trump's administration, family and allies, while seeking concessions on major legislation. The Democratic-controlled Senate will also be able to block Trump's nominees, including any US Supreme Court appointments should a vacancy arise.
"There is now a generational remake of the Senate map that is going to change America," said Chuck Schumer, the party's Senate minority leader. "Americans voted for change, and now Democrats must deliver."
Trump, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term, has maintained a firm grip on the Republican Party for most of the past decade. But the new balance of power in Washington could accelerate his lame-duck status as attention shifts to the 2028 presidential race and potential successors begin competing for influence in a post-Trump political landscape.
Despite concerns among Democrats that Trump might seek to overturn the election results, as he did in 2020, the president accepted the outcome and congratulated Democrats in an interview with Fox News. He also said he would work with them on issues such as immigration, although he threatened to veto any "insane" bills they passed.
Democratic wave
Democrats centred their campaign on corruption and affordability, blaming Trump's tariff policies and the war with Iran for driving up costs while highlighting the billions of dollars the Trump family has made since his return to the White House.
Republicans, led by Trump, attacked Democrats over cultural issues such as transgender rights, portraying their opponents as radical and extreme. But poll after poll showed that voters were far more concerned about their household finances.
The Democratic wave swept across vast swathes of the country. Republicans lost ground in all but a handful of the approximately 1,700 counties where most votes had been counted by Tuesday night, according to tallies compiled by Reuters and USA Today.
Democrats made gains in both the wealthiest and poorest counties, as well as in areas with high and low levels of educational attainment. Their advances were particularly pronounced in heavily Latino counties, including Texas border communities that had shifted towards Trump in 2024 and agricultural towns across the Kansas prairie.
In Seward County, Kansas, home to one of the country's largest beef-processing plants and where about half of eligible voters are Hispanic, Democrat Adam Hamilton led incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall by 13 points. Trump had carried the county by 39 points just two years earlier.
Democrats swept the most competitive House races, winning all 20 contests decided so far. Meanwhile, an unprecedented Republican effort to redraw several House districts in their favour largely failed, with Democrats retaining most of the targeted seats.
Midterm elections are typically viewed as a referendum on the sitting president, and Trump did little to challenge that perception. During the final weeks of the campaign, he held dozens of rallies, repeatedly telling supporters to "pretend I'm on the ballot".
He also intervened in several races to ensure his preferred candidates secured nominations, despite concerns among some Republicans that his choices carried significant political liabilities.
In Texas, Trump backed scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn. In South Carolina, the president endorsed political newcomer Darline Graham after her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, died suddenly earlier this year. Both candidates lost.
Even Republicans who sought to distance themselves from Trump failed to escape voters' backlash. In Maine, incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins saw her 30-year Senate career come to an end on Tuesday, despite highlighting her willingness to break with the president during the campaign.
Competitive Senate races in Mississippi, Michigan and Alaska had yet to be called early Wednesday.
As it became increasingly clear on Tuesday night that Republicans were at risk of losing their congressional majorities, Trump wrote on social media: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter."
Voters rebuke Trump
According to exit polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of US media outlets, including major television networks and the Associated Press, half of voters nationwide said they viewed the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to rebuke the president. Three-quarters said they were "angry" or "dissatisfied" with the direction of the country.
Additionally, 70% of voters surveyed said they wanted Congress to exercise greater checks and balances on the president.
"In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump," incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia told supporters at a victory party.
The night also saw several historic firsts for both parties. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of a US state, while Republican Byron Donalds won Florida's gubernatorial race to become the country's first Black Republican governor.
Democrat Gina Hinojosa will become Texas's first Latina governor, while Democrat Xavier Becerra will become California's first Latino governor.