Democrats on Track for Their Biggest House Advantage Since 2008 as Trump Takes a Midterm Hit
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Midterm results suggest Democrats are headed toward roughly 260 House seats, while President Donald Trump concedes the numbers and says he is ready to deal with the opposition.
The 2026 midterm elections are shaping up to hand Democrats a House majority reminiscent of their 2008 peak. According to a New York Times analysis, Democrats have flipped 52 of the 234 districts that President Donald Trump carried in 2024, lifting their total to 253 seats compared with the Republicans' 155. With 27 races still unresolved, the party could top 260 seats, producing an 85-seat edge, the largest for Democrats since the early 1990s.
If the final count stands, Democrats would control roughly 60 percent of the chamber, a share not seen in half a century. The result would also mark the first time President Trump, who also served as president from 2017 to 2021, would confront a Congress controlled by the opposition in both chambers.
Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remain undecided, keeping alive the possibility of a small Democratic gain in the upper chamber.
President Trump reacted to the results, telling The New York Times that he is "absolutely willing to accept those results" and promised to "work with the Democrats." He later posted on social media an image of a red baseball cap bearing the word "VETO," a clear signal of the obstructionist posture he may take toward upcoming legislation.
"I am absolutely willing to accept those results," Trump said.
Democratic leaders said they plan to use their new congressional majority to investigate members of the administration and to press for additional oversight measures.