Democrats capture Senate and House in 2026 midterm elections

The 2026 midterm elections have shifted control of Congress to the Democratic Party after Republicans lost seven Senate seats, 25 House districts and five governor races. As of early Wednesday morning, more than 1,900 of the roughly 2,500 counties with Senate contests had reported over 90% of their votes, showing a marked decline in Republican turnout amid high fuel prices and dissatisfaction with President Trump.

The Democrats not only reclaimed the House of Representatives but also secured a Senate majority, ending the Republican hold of 53 seats. The party exceeded the four-seat target needed for a majority, flipping key states such as Texas, where James Talarico won by more than 10 points, and Kansas, which elected its first Democratic senator since 1932. In North Carolina, Roy Cooper became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state since 2008, while the party also made gains in traditionally Republican districts across the Midwest and the South.

Exit polling conducted by the Associated Press and major broadcasters indicated that younger voters, urban residents and lower-income households shifted heavily toward the Democrats. The data also showed significant swings in counties with large Hispanic populations, notably in Texas’s Starr, Webb and Duval counties, which moved from supporting Trump in 2024 to backing Democratic candidates in 2026.

Despite Republican efforts to redraw district boundaries in several states, Democrats won seats in redistricted areas of Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Texas, suggesting that the gerrymandering did not produce the anticipated Republican advantage. The House now features a double-digit Democratic majority, and the Senate majority is larger than many analysts had expected.

"The results give Democrats the ability to check the president's agenda, including blocking new Supreme Court appointments and cabinet nominations," a Democratic spokesperson said.

The outcome continues a historical pattern in which the president's party loses at least one chamber in midterm elections, but the scale of the 2026 defeat—particularly the loss of long-held Republican seats—surpasses recent cycles.