Democrats Projected to Win Back the Senate, Completing Control of Congress

Democrats are projected to win back control of the United States Senate, completing a sweep of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections after voters delivered the party the House of Representatives on the same night.

The Associated Press called the Senate for Democrats after declaring Democrat Josh Turek the winner of Iowa’s open Senate race, according to election-night reporting. The call came after a run of Democratic victories in states that had long been considered difficult territory for the party, and it ends Republican control of the chamber. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take the majority from a 53-47 Republican advantage, and they cleared that bar on election night.

These are projections and race calls, not certified results. Counting was still continuing in several states on Wednesday morning, and the final size of the Democratic majority had not been settled. State officials will certify results in the coming weeks.

The flips that delivered the majority

The clearest pattern of the night was the breadth of the Democratic gains. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas in 38 years. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Republican Senator Roger Marshall, the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 1932, according to election-night reports.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown prevailed over Republican Senator Jon Husted in a special election, returning a former senator to the chamber. In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley to capture an open Republican-held seat. In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews won a Senate race in a state where Democrats had not won a Senate contest this century.

Iowa provided the seat that put Democrats over the line in the Associated Press account, with Turek defeating Republican Representative Ashley Hinson. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins, who had served nearly 30 years in the Senate, according to election-night reporting.

Democrats also held key seats elsewhere. In Georgia, incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff won re-election, and in New Hampshire, Democrat Chris Pappas won the open Senate seat. Those holds mattered because a majority built on flips alone would have been fragile; holding Georgia and New Hampshire kept the party’s path to control intact.

What remains uncalled

Not every race was decided on election night. The Associated Press listed several contests, including Alaska, Mississippi and Nebraska, as too early to call in its early Wednesday results, and other outlets noted that races in Michigan and Maine’s ranked-choice process could take longer to resolve. That is why the reported tallies varied between outlets during the night: some counts put Democrats at 51 seats called, others higher, with a different number of races still open.

Voters’ reasons, as reported in exit polling, pointed to the cost of living, the economy, the war involving Iran and concerns about government corruption. Reuters reporting on exit polls conducted for a consortium of US media organisations found that nearly nine in 10 voters considered the cost of living a major or crucial factor in their decision. That backdrop helps explain why the night’s biggest upsets came in states where Republicans had been favoured.

What a Senate majority changes

Control of the Senate gives Democrats power that the House alone does not. The Senate confirms presidential nominees, including judges and cabinet officials, approves treaties, and can block or reshape legislation. A Democratic majority can also set the chamber’s agenda, decide which bills reach the floor, and launch investigations into the administration.

That power has limits. President Donald Trump retains the veto, and he has already signalled how he intends to use it. In a pre-election Fox News interview, Trump said he would “veto everything” sent to him by a Democrat-led Congress and described himself as ready to become “Mr. Veto”. Overriding a veto requires two-thirds of both chambers, a threshold Democrats are not projected to reach, so negotiation — or stalemate — is the likelier outcome for most major bills.

The Senate result also changes the politics of the final two years of Trump’s presidency. With Democrats controlling both chambers, the White House will face sustained scrutiny of its policies on tariffs, safety-net spending and the war involving Iran, as well as of its appointments. At the same time, Democrats will face pressure from their own voters to show that control of Congress can produce results, not only opposition.

What happens next

Under the 20th Amendment, senators elected to regular six-year terms begin their terms at noon on 3 January 2027. The new Congress will therefore take office in January, with the Senate majority formally changing hands at that point.

Before then, the remaining races will be called, recounts may follow in close contests, and party leaders will begin negotiating committee assignments and leadership posts. Markets reacted swiftly to the early results, with US stock futures falling and Treasury yields dipping as traders priced in the prospect of a Democratic sweep, according to Reuters market reporting.

For now, the central fact of the night is settled in projection, if not yet in certification: Democrats have won the Senate as well as the House, and the final two years of Trump’s presidency will be fought with an opposition Congress.