Democrats seize both chambers of Congress in historic midterm sweep
The party has captured 228 House seats and 54 Senate seats, marking the largest Democratic gain since 1990 and ending Republican control of both houses.
By Tessa Cooper ·
Democrats have taken control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate following Tuesday's midterm elections, a decisive shift in American political power.
The Associated Press tally shows Democrats winning 228 House seats with 34 additional races still leading, projecting a total that could exceed 260 seats. This would represent the party's strongest position in the lower chamber since 1990, when they held 267 seats. In the Senate, Democrats have secured 54 seats and are leading in one more, while Republicans have won 44 seats and are leading in one. A party requires 51 seats to control the Senate, meaning Democrats have not held such a clear majority since 2008. The Democratic party has flipped 25 House seats from the Republicans so far, surpassing the 21 seats they took in 2008.
The path to this outcome involved a series of high-stakes contests across multiple states. Republicans previously held 220 House seats and 53 Senate seats following the 2024 elections. This marks the first time in 20 years that a Republican president has lost control of both chambers, a last occurrence dating back to George W. Bush in 2006. However, the scale of the loss exceeds that of 2006, where Republicans lost 30 House seats and six Senate seats. This time, the party is projected to fall below 180 House seats and will likely hold no more than 45 Senate seats. In the House, voters have taken seats from the governing party in 18 of the 20 midterms from 1946 to 2022, with an average loss of 26 seats across both houses.
Several individual victories broke historical barriers for the Democratic party. Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in Michigan to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate. El-Sayed stated, "We don't need to be great again. We need to embrace that thing about us that has always made us great: the will to be more perfect." In Illinois, Juliana Stratton's victory ensures three Black women will serve in the Senate simultaneously, joining Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks. Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor in the United States, defeating Republican Rick Jackson in Georgia. Deb Haaland, a former interior secretary, made history as the first Native American woman elected state governor in New Mexico.
The results also reshaped the governor's mansion map. Democrats now claim 28 governorships compared to 20 for Republicans, with two states still uncalled. This reverses the post-2024 balance, which saw 27 Republican and 23 Democratic governors. Notable gubernatorial wins include Xavier Becerra in California, who became the first Latino elected governor in a state where 40 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino. Becerra said, "If anyone wants to come after California or any one Californian, they better be ready for a fight."
President Donald Trump endorsed several candidates who were ultimately defeated, including Darline Graham in South Carolina, Michael Whatley in North Carolina, Ken Paxton in Texas, and Mike Rogers in Michigan. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Paxton, the first Democrat to win state office in the state since 1994. Talarico told a crowd in Austin, "The people of Texas were my slingshot. And tonight, we defeated Goliath." In Kansas, Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Roger Marshall, the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the state since 1932. Hamilton noted, "The next two years are a pivotal time for our country."
Opinion polls ahead of the election correctly predicted a strong Democratic performance, a contrast to recent cycles. In 2016, polls correctly predicted the popular vote for Hillary Clinton but failed to predict the Electoral College outcome. In 2020, polls overestimated Democratic support, and in 2024, they predicted a closer race than Donald Trump's eventual victory over Kamala Harris. This year, pre-election surveys aligned with voter sentiment. Gary Colbert, a voter in Detroit, cited rising fuel prices and the US-Israel war on Iran as factors in his decision to vote for change. His wife, Shirley Colbert, added that "some changes need to be made" to address the cost-of-living crisis.
