Democrats have seized control of both chambers of Congress in a sweeping midterm victory that delivered a major blow to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
The result, described as a “bluenami” after a wave of Republican defeats, saw Democratic candidates make gains across broad areas of the United States, including several traditionally Republican states.
Democrats had won 253 House seats by Friday, comfortably exceeding the 218 required for a majority, with 25 contests still undecided. Republicans had entered election day with a three-seat advantage in the chamber.
The national swing in House races was 14.7 percentage points towards the Democrats, the sharpest movement since the 2010 midterms. That election saw Republicans gain 63 House seats, prompting then-president Barack Obama to describe the result as a “shellacking”.
Trump also suffered significant losses in the 2018 midterms, when the vote shifted 9.7 points towards the Democrats, although his party retained control of the Senate at the time.
Democrats make sweeping Senate gains
This time, Democrats flipped seven Republican-held Senate seats, despite needing a net gain of four to take control of the chamber.
Among the early defeats for Republicans were in Georgia, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff held his seat, while Representative Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s open Senate contest against former Republican senator John Sununu.
Former Democratic governor Roy Cooper also won a Senate seat in North Carolina. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, the Republican candidate backed by Trump to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
Former Democratic senator Sherrod Brown then reclaimed an Ohio seat from Trump-appointed Republican Jon Husted, before Democratic state Representative James Talarico produced one of the night’s biggest upsets in Texas.
Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, ending a 38-year period without a Democrat in Texas’s Senate delegation. In Kansas, another traditionally Republican state, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Senator Roger Marshall.
Moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins was also ousted in Maine by Democrat Troy Jackson. Michigan subsequently went to progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who defeated former Republican representative Mike Rogers.
Democrats were also awaiting results in Mississippi and Alaska, where further Senate gains remained possible.
Elon Musk spending fails to prevent Republican defeats
The Republican campaign had received major financial backing from Elon Musk, who directed at least 445.7 million dollars towards Republican-aligned political action committees and candidates before the election.
Musk’s spending increased by about 200 million dollars during the final two months of the campaign, making him the largest single-cycle political donor in modern US history. His America PAC targeted 43 House and Senate races with television adverts, digital campaigns, text messages and mailers.
In Texas, the organisation spent more than 33 million dollars supporting Paxton, including 28 million dollars on material attacking Talarico. Musk also contributed 168 million dollars to the Senate Leadership Fund, which backed Paxton.
As the results came in, Musk wrote on X: “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time.” He later added: “Data centers in space are looking pretty appealing right now.”
Talarico presented his victory as a rejection of the influence of wealthy political donors, including Musk.
The scale of the Democratic gains has prompted speculation within the party about the 2028 presidential election. With Republicans shut out of both chambers, Democratic candidates may see an opportunity to compete for the White House, although the result could also intensify divisions between the party’s moderate and left-wing factions.
Democrats on the left were strengthened by the Senate victories of El-Sayed and Jackson, alongside the election of a number of democratic socialists to the House.
