Southern Midterm Results: Democrats Flip Key Senate Seats and State Houses
High Black voter turnout and Democratic gains in Texas and North Carolina reshape the regional map ahead of the 2028 presidential cycle.
By Ricardo Alvarez ·
Democratic candidates won Senate races in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas on Tuesday, fundamentally altering the balance of power in the United States Congress.
The results followed a series of redistricting changes enacted by Republican leaders in several Southern states earlier this year. These states moved to redraw House maps after a Supreme Court ruling weakened parts of the Voting Rights Act. The goal was to create districts that could withstand a midterm election where voters often punish the party holding the White House.
In Tennessee, mapmakers split Memphis into three separate districts. State Rep. Justin Pearson is currently within a few thousand votes of winning one of those new seats. In Alabama, officials redrew districts to challenge Rep. Shomari Figures, who won by nearly eight points in the new configuration. Texas and Florida targeted nine additional seats in their respective maps.
As of Wednesday night, the Associated Press had confirmed that Republicans won only one of these newly drawn House districts. The anticipated Republican advantage did not materialize in most areas.
Voter behavior shifted sharply in key states. Black voter turnout surged in Louisiana and Georgia. In South Carolina, record turnout for a gubernatorial year helped Democrat Annie Andrews flip a U.S. Senate seat. In Louisiana, Democrat Jamie Davis lost to Sen.-elect Julia Letlow by less than two percent, despite Donald Trump winning the state by more than 15 points in 2024.
Mississippi remains undecided. Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 1,200 votes in a state that has the highest share of Black voters in the nation.
Statewide races saw similar swings. Democrat Jon Ossoff won his re-election in Georgia by 18 points. His victory helped propel former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to the governor's mansion. Democrats swept every statewide elected office in Georgia, gained control of the state utility regulator, and secured a majority in the state House.
In North Carolina, former Gov. Roy Cooper won by 20 points. That margin is sufficient to flip multiple congressional seats and give Democrats control of the state House. Texas Democrats also won a majority of seats in their state House. Republican supermajorities in the Florida and South Carolina Houses have ended.
Both parties are now looking toward the 2028 presidential election. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear campaigned in the region for Democratic nominees. On the Republican side, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Vice President JD Vance focused their efforts on the area.
Texas, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina together hold more than a third of the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House. The closeness of recent races in these states makes them primary targets for both parties seeking an advantage in the next presidential cycle.
