Democrats are projected to take control of both chambers of the United States (US) in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as victories in Republican-held states and districts dealt President of US Donald Trump and his party a major electoral setback.
The projected gains will give Democrats control of the House of Representatives and the Senate for the final two years of Trump’s presidency, allowing them to block his legislative agenda, investigate his administration and challenge his nominations for senior government and judicial positions.
Voters expressed dissatisfaction over rising living costs, tariffs, Israel’s genocide in Gaza and Trump’s war against Iran, which has pushed fuel prices higher. The election also reflected wider discontent with the president’s handling of the economy and his administration.
Trump told an international media outlet that he was prepared to accept the election results, saying, “I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” and added that he would “work with the Democrats”. However, minutes later, he posted a picture on social media of a red baseball cap bearing the word “VETO”, signalling his approach to Democratic attempts to pass legislation.
Democrats secured six Republican-held Senate seats, including victories in Kansas and Iowa. In Kansas, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton defeated Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 1932. Iowa also elected a Democratic senator for the first time since 2008.
The victories followed Democratic gains in Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio, where voters rejected Republican candidates despite Trump’s campaign efforts.
In Texas, James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate race, while Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, ending decades of Republican control of the state’s top office.
Addressing supporters in Austin, Talarico said, “We defeated Goliath,” referring to his contest against Paxton, who received support from Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Democrats also retained key Senate seats, including Jon Ossoff’s in Georgia and an open seat in New Hampshire. Republicans previously held a 53-47 majority in the chamber.
The party also secured control of the House after defeating Republican candidates in districts across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina. Several victories came in areas Trump had won by significant margins in the 2024 presidential election, despite Republican efforts to protect their seats through redrawn electoral boundaries.
In Indiana, Democrat JD Ford defeated Republican congresswoman Victoria Spartz in a district Trump had carried by 17 percentage points in 2024.
Democratic gains extended to state-level elections. Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia’s gubernatorial race, becoming the first Black woman elected governor in US history. She defeated Republican candidate Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive.
Republicans secured victories in Florida, where Trump-backed Byron Donalds won the governorship, becoming the state’s first Black governor, while Ashley Moody retained her Senate seat.
George Washington University professor Todd Belt described the Democratic gains as “a big wipeout and a strong repudiation of Donald Trump and his policies”, pointing to concerns over the economy, corruption and the Iran conflict.
The results will give Democrats greater authority to scrutinise Trump’s administration. They plan to investigate allegations of corruption, the war against Iran and immigration enforcement. Senate control will also allow them to block judicial appointments and senior government nominations.
Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, who is expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, warned Republicans on social media, writing, “LAWYER UP.” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that Trump’s MAGA movement was “on the run from sea to shining sea”.
Jeffries is also positioned to become the first Black speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January, subject to a vote by his colleagues.
In Florida, Republican Senator Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon but held a lead of only around three percentage points in a state Trump had won by 13 points in 2024, according to vote counts compiled by Reuters and USA Today.
Democrats also retained three Florida House districts that Republican lawmakers had redrawn earlier in the year, despite Trump winning each by at least nine percentage points in 2024.
Midterm elections traditionally serve as a referendum on the sitting president. Trump urged supporters to treat the election as a judgement on his leadership, telling them to “pretend I’m on the ballot”, and held dozens of rallies in the weeks before voting.
Exit polls conducted by SSRS for a consortium of US media organisations, including major television networks and the Associated Press, found that half of voters viewed the elections as an opportunity to rebuke Trump. Three-quarters said they were angry or dissatisfied with the direction of the country, while 70 percent wanted Congress to impose greater checks and balances on the president.
Meanwhile, the US Justice Department deployed 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states, describing the operation as the largest Election Day monitoring effort in the country’s history.
Democrats criticised the deployment, arguing that it could intimidate voters. Election officials in several states reported no problems with the monitoring operation.
