Democrats were projected on Tuesday to regain control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections, while two victories in Republican-held Senate seats brought the party closer to a majority in the upper chamber. The results dealt a setback to President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, who have backed his agenda since he returned to the White House two years ago.
So far, Democrats have taken four Senate seats from Republicans. That means they could afford to lose one of their existing seats and still control the 435-member chamber.
Senate wins in South Carolina and North Carolina
In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews, a paediatrician, won a Senate seat. She is the first candidate from her party to win a Senate race in the state since 1998. She beat Darline Graham, whom Trump had endorsed, in a state that had backed him by nearly 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Also read: Trump Approval Near Record Low Before US Midterm Elections
Andrews’ victory, together with Democrat Roy Cooper’s win in North Carolina, gave Democrats two of the four extra Senate seats they need. The outcomes also pointed to gains in areas that have traditionally voted Republican, suggesting the party’s momentum reached beyond its usual strongholds.
Graham entered the race after the death of her brother, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally. She had been appointed to serve out his term before Trump urged her to seek a full six-year mandate. Her limited experience in electoral politics became a disadvantage during the campaign.
Key Senate races still open and Florida results
It was still too early to say whether Democrats could repeat those results in the other critical races that will decide the Senate majority. Millions of votes remained uncounted in the following states:
- Alaska
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Maine
- Ohio
- Texas
Democrats kept their Senate seats in Georgia and New Hampshire. Both had once looked competitive, but they moved out of Republican reach as Trump’s approval ratings declined. In Georgia, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, the projected winner, told supporters at a victory party that voters had delivered sweeping results rejecting what he described as the depravity, corruption and incompetence of Trump.
In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody fended off Democrat Angie Nixon, but her lead was only about 3 percentage points. Trump had carried the state by 13 points in 2024. A vote count compiled by two news organisations showed the narrow margin, which pointed to a sharp shift toward Democrats even in solidly Republican states. Democrats also held three House districts in Florida that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier this year. Each of those districts had backed Trump by at least 9 percentage points.
Voter anger and Trump’s falling approval
Several television networks projected that Democrats would eventually win a House majority, but most of the chamber’s tightest contests had not yet been called. Midterm elections are typically seen as a referendum on the president, and that is especially true for Trump, who dominates attention like no other politician. He told supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and held dozens of rallies in the closing weeks.
Exit polls conducted by SSRS for a consortium of US media outlets, including major television networks, found that half of voters nationwide saw the 2026 midterms as a chance to rebuke the president. Three-quarters said they were “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the country’s direction. In addition, 70% of those surveyed wanted Congress to impose more checks and balances on the president.
History is working against Republicans. The sitting president’s party has lost ground in Congress in every midterm since World War Two except two. Trump’s approval rating is hovering near its lowest point of his career, with voters frustrated by the war with Iran, higher fuel prices and affordability concerns. Republicans have labelled Democratic candidates as radical, un-American and even communist, a characterisation Democrats reject. Polling shows voters are most worried about affordability and disapprove of how Trump has handled it. His tariffs, several of which courts have struck down, and his decision to attack Iran in February pushed up prices for consumers.
Concerns over federal election monitors
An analysis by a news agency of leading election forecasts identified 47 House races widely seen as competitive. If the other contests proceed as predicted, Democrats would need to win only 13 of those races to secure a majority.
Legal observers and Democrats have warned that Trump, who has long falsely claimed US elections are rigged, may try to challenge Tuesday’s results if Republicans lose. The US Justice Department said it had deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states. It described the effort as the largest Election Day monitoring operation in history. Democrats criticised the plan as a possible form of voter intimidation.
An analysis by a news agency found that voters in roughly two-thirds of the jurisdictions the department listed had supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Election officials in several states reported no problems with the monitoring. However, New Mexico’s secretary of state’s office said it had received reports of federal monitors asking “unusual questions” in one county. The Justice Department assured the office that the conduct would be addressed.
