Democrats have seized control of both chambers of the United States Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, scoring sweeping victories in Republican strongholds, Reuters reports. The results usher in a new era of divided government in Washington, after two years in which a Republican-controlled Congress rarely moved to rein in President Donald Trump.

Where Democrats won

Reuters reports that Democrats flipped Senate seats in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Maine, North Carolina, Iowa and Ohio. In Texas, James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, and Democrats also ousted three-term Governor Greg Abbott, according to Reuters. In Kansas, Adam Hamilton led incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall, in a state that had not elected a Democratic senator since 1932, USA Today reports. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, described by Reuters as Trump's hand-picked Senate candidate, in a state Trump carried by nearly 18 points in 2024.

What the numbers show so far

Counts were still moving on Wednesday. Le Monde, summarising the results, put Democratic Senate gains at at least seven seats and House gains at at least 25 seats, with Democrats winning at least 20 of the 35 Senate seats contested. A tally of Associated Press race calls reported on Wednesday morning gave Democrats 222 House seats to 138 for Republicans, with 75 seats still uncalled, and Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled in the Senate. Those figures are projections and race calls, not final certified results, and some seats remained undecided when the reports were published.

What changes in January

The new Democratic majorities take office in January 2027. Reuters reports that Democrats are expected to use their power to investigate the Trump administration, family and allies, and to demand concessions on major legislation, while the Democratic Senate will be able to block presidential nominees, including any US Supreme Court justices should a vacancy arise. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won a Senate seat, becoming the nation's first Muslim US senator, USA Today reports.

Sources: Reuters, Democrats seize Congress in sweeping midterm repudiation of Trump, 4 November 2026; USA Today, midterm election results recap, 4 November 2026; Le Monde, 2026 US midterms takeaways, 4 November 2026.