US media projections indicate that Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives from Republicans in the midterm congressional elections, while making significant gains in the Senate by flipping four Republican-held seats. The political shift is expected to constrain President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda during the final two years of his second term.
CNN and NBC projected that Democrats would win a majority in the House of Representatives. NBC estimated that the party would secure at least 244 of the chamber’s 435 seats, according to US media reports. Reuters also confirmed that media projections indicated a Democratic takeover of the House.
Either party needs 218 seats to secure a majority in the House, which Republicans controlled by a narrow margin before the election. Democratic control would allow the party to lead House committees, set legislative priorities and exercise broader oversight of the Trump administration.
The latest figures on the election results board showed Democrats had secured 137 House seats, compared with 92 for Republicans. Democratic candidates were leading in 87 districts, while Republicans were ahead in 74, with results in 45 districts still unclear.
These figures reflect the results reported at the time of the update, while projections of a Democratic majority are based on vote counts and election data used by US television networks to declare winners before the full count is completed.
Democrats Flip Four Republican Senate Seats
In the Senate elections, Democrats made significant gains by capturing four seats previously held by Republicans in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Ohio, although control of the chamber remained undecided.
The Associated Press declared Democrat Sherrod Brown the winner in Ohio, defeating Republican Senator Jon Husted and returning to the Senate after losing his seat in the 2024 election.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico won a Senate seat against Republican Ken Paxton, who was backed by Trump. Talarico became the first Democrat in more than 30 years to win a statewide office in Texas.
Democrat Annie Andrews also won South Carolina’s Senate seat, defeating Republican Darlene Graham. She became the first woman elected to represent the state in the Senate and the first Democrat to win a Senate seat there since 1998.
In North Carolina, former governor Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley to capture another Republican-held Senate seat for the Democrats.
Democrats retained their seat in Georgia after Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election against Republican Mike Collins. Democrat Chris Pappas also won New Hampshire’s Senate seat, defeating former Republican Senator John Sununu, keeping both seats in Democratic hands.
The results board showed Democrats holding 49 Senate seats, compared with 37 for Republicans. Democrats were leading in three races and Republicans in eight, while independent candidates were ahead in two contests. One race remained undecided.
These figures include seats not contested this year as well as those decided in the election.
Before the election, Republicans controlled the 100-member Senate with 53 seats, compared with 47 held by Democrats and independents aligned with them. Democrats therefore needed a net gain of four seats to secure a majority, while retaining their other seats.
Trump: We Would Have Won by a Landslide If I Had Run
In his first response to the Democrats’ gains, US President Donald Trump said Republicans would have achieved a landslide victory if he himself had been a candidate in the midterm elections.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I had been, we would have had a landslide victory.”
The New York Times also quoted Trump as saying he was “fully prepared to accept” the election results amid Democratic gains in both chambers of Congress.
Gubernatorial Election Results
Democratic gains extended to gubernatorial races. Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to win the governorship of Ohio.
Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms also won Georgia’s governorship, becoming the first Black woman elected governor of a US state. Democrats retained governorships in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York.
The elections were held on Tuesday to choose all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 senators and the governors of 36 states.
The vote took place amid growing voter concerns over the cost of living, rising fuel prices, the consequences of the war with Iran and the Trump administration’s economic policies.
Exit polls showed that half of voters viewed the elections as an opportunity to express their dissatisfaction with President Trump’s performance. Meanwhile, 70% supported giving Congress a greater role in overseeing the president and balancing executive powers, according to Reuters.
Democratic control of the House would give the party the ability to launch congressional investigations and summon administration officials, as well as influence the passage of legislation and the federal budget.
The outcome of the Senate races, meanwhile, will remain a decisive factor in determining the balance of power in Congress for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Source: Agencies
