Photo: Office of the Speaker of the House (public domain). The US House of Representatives chamber.
Updated November 4, 2026, 1:29 a.m. EST
Democrats won control of both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections, a sweeping set of Republican losses that reached deep into the party’s strongholds.
The numbers
Senate: seven seats flipped to Democrats – in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Maine – after the AP, NBC, CBS and Fox all called Senate control for Democrats. The AP had counted six flips shortly after 1 a.m., before Sen. Susan Collins conceded in Maine.
House: Decision Desk HQ projected Democratic control at 9:09 p.m. Eastern, followed by NBC at 10:08 p.m. and CBS, ABC and Fox later Tuesday night; the Associated Press called the House for Democrats at about 1:24 a.m. Wednesday, declaring unified Democratic control of Congress. NBC reported Democrats were on track for what could be their largest House majority in nearly two decades.
Governors: Democrats flipped at least four Republican-held offices – Georgia, Ohio, Iowa and Texas.
NBC News noted that not since 2006 had the minority party flipped control of both chambers on a single night.
The biggest upsets
Senate
- Maine: Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins, in office since 1997; Collins conceded.
- Texas: Democrat James Talarico defeated state Attorney General Ken Paxton, per Fox, CBS and NBC.
- South Carolina: Democrat Annie Andrews is projected by NBC and Fox to defeat Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in office since 2003.
- Ohio special election: Democrat Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat in 2024, defeated Republican Sen. Jon Husted, per NBC and Fox.
- Kansas: Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, per the Fox Decision Desk.
- North Carolina: Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley for an open Republican seat, per the AP.
- Iowa: Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, per the AP and Fox.
Governors
- Texas: Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated two-term Gov. Greg Abbott, who conceded at 10 p.m., per the AP, NBC and CBS.
- Ohio: Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who conceded after heavy personal spending on the race.
- Georgia: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, flipping the office, per Fox.
- Iowa: Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lahn, per CBS and Fox.
House
- Pennsylvania’s 1st: Democrat Bob Harvie unseated Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, per the AP, NBC, CBS and Fox; Fitzpatrick had not conceded.
- Wisconsin’s 1st: Democrat Mitchell Berman is projected by Fox to defeat Republican Rep. Bryan Steil in a seat Republicans had held for more than three decades.
- Wisconsin’s 3rd: Democrat Rebecca Cooke defeated Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden, per CBS.
- New York’s 17th: Democrat Cait Conley defeated Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who conceded, Fox 5 New York reported.
- Iowa’s 1st: Democrat Christina Bohannan is projected by NBC and Fox to defeat Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
- Nebraska’s 2nd: Democrat Denise Powell won the open Republican seat.
- Indiana’s 5th: Democrat J.D. Ford defeated Republican Rep. Victoria Spartz, according to race results reported early Wednesday.
- Texas’s 15th: Democrat Bobby Pulido is projected by Fox to defeat Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz.
- Pennsylvania’s 7th: Democrat Bob Brooks defeated Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, per Fox and the NBC Decision Desk.
State legislature
- New York’s 38th Senate District: Democrat Joe Rand, the mayor of Nyack, defeated Republican state Sen. Bill Weber in Rockland County, flipping the seat, Rockland Daily reported.
The losses reached some of the best-known names in Republican politics, from senators in office since the 1990s and 2000s to a two-term Texas governor whose campaign had raised more than $100 million.
What Republicans held
The night was not a shutout. Republicans kept the governor’s offices of Florida, New Hampshire, Vermont, South Dakota, Wyoming and Arkansas, won or were projected to win Senate races in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Alabama and Florida, and were projected to hold Georgia’s 1st Congressional District.
What the wave means for Washington, U.S. politics and foreign policy
NBC News reported that Democratic majorities would give the party oversight powers it plans to use on the administration, and that the outcome could influence the Supreme Court, the 2028 presidential race and Trump’s legislative plans. The network’s exit poll found the war in Iran was among voters’ key issues, and CBS reported that Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has listed ending the Iran war among his priorities. On 2028, NBC reported the results could recast the Republican nomination race, in which Vice President JD Vance is the presumed front-runner.
For the full breakdown of what Democratic control of Congress means for Trump, the courts and spending, read the JBizNews analysis here.
What is not yet settled
Vote counting continues in individual races, the final size of each majority is not yet settled, and media calls and reported concessions are not official certifications. The new Congress takes office in January.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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