Democrats have seized control of both chambers of the US Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, delivering a sweeping setback to President Donald Trump and reshaping the political landscape for the final two years of his term.
The party made gains deep into Republican territory, flipping at least seven Senate seats in states including Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. The result ends the Republicans’ control of Washington and sets the stage for a period of divided government.
In the House of Representatives, Democrats won more than two dozen districts, including some that backed Mr Trump by double-digit margins in 2024. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is now in line to become the first Black Speaker of the House, subject to the party’s internal leadership vote.
The Senate result was particularly damaging for Republicans, who had begun the year with what was widely regarded as a secure majority. Kansas elected a Democratic senator for the first time in nearly a century, while the party also captured seats in traditionally conservative states and key battlegrounds.
Several prominent Republican figures were defeated. In Ohio, former senator Sherrod Brown returned to the Senate after beating Republican Jon Husted, while Maine Democrat Troy Jackson unseated Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Democrats win Congress in rebuke to Trump
The elections were widely seen as a referendum on Mr Trump’s second presidency. Voters cited the cost of living and concerns about public corruption among their leading issues, while Democrats benefited from stronger support among younger and Hispanic voters.
The new congressional majority will give Democrats control over the legislative agenda and the power to conduct more aggressive oversight of the administration. It is expected to make it considerably harder for the president to advance his domestic programme without bipartisan support.
Voters were also deciding gubernatorial contests in 36 states, more than two-thirds of the country’s 50 states. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, becoming the state’s first Latina governor and the first Democrat to hold the office since Ann Richards.
The outcome marks the first time since 2023 that Democrats will control both the House and Senate. It also leaves Mr Trump facing a Democratic Congress for the remainder of his presidency, with the next presidential election due in 2028.
