Democrats have regained control of Congress, winning back the U.S. House and Senate as Republican midterm losses mount.
Coming into the night, Republicans held 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, compared with 45 held by Democrats. To wrest back control of the Senate, Democrats needed a net gain of at least four seats. Before the clock struck midnight on the East Coast, the Associated Press said the party would gain at least that amount.
Democrats won a series of key Senate seats. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed defeated Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched races. James Talarico beat Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, becoming the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the Lone Star State since 1988.
Annie Andrews beat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina to flip a Senate seat. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, putting an end to her three-decade tenure. Sen. Jon Ossoff comfortably won reelection in Georgia. Other Senate seats to flip to the Democratic Party included Roy Cooper in North Carolina and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.
In the 435-seat House, the GOP held 218 seats, compared with 214 held by Democrats. To retake control of the House, Democrats needed a net gain of three seats — and the AP said early Wednesday that the party had exceeded that figure.
There were also 36 gubernatorial races and numerous ballot measures to keep an eye on. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia became the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, while Democrat Amy Acton became the first woman elected governor of Ohio. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds became the state’s first Black governor-elect.
President Trump, whose approval ratings are at or near all-time lows, distanced himself from mounting Republican losses in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night: “I wasn’t on the Ballot, and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote. “Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
It’s been an emotional midterm election night across America. While some supporters saw their candidates make history, others were left reeling from shock defeats.
The Mississippi Senate race remains on a knife-edge, with the Associated Press putting both candidates at 48.9% with 96% of the votes counted
Trump ally Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is running for a second term and is facing a serious challenge from Democrat Scott Colom — who, if he wins, would become the first Black senator elected by the popular vote in Mississippi since the Reconstruction era following the Civil War.
With more than 900,000 ballots counted, Colom led Hyde-Smith by just 43 votes.
A win for Colom would also bring another historic moment: It would be the first time that a Democratic senator has been elected to the state since 1982.
Donald Trump has said he is prepared to accept the outcome of the midterms after sweeping gains for the Democrats.
In a phone interview with The New York Times on Tuesday night, he stood by the war with Iran, calling it a “very wise decision”, and blamed Republican losses on his absence from the ticket: “I wasn’t on the ticket, and because I wasn’t on the ticket, we couldn’t get enough people out to vote.”
He struck a conciliatory tone in a call with CBS News, saying: “My message is, congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country.”
He also told Fox News that the Democrats “did a good job”, adding: “I can work with them on many things.” He said he was “a little bit surprised” by the outcome.
He conceded that higher fuel prices had contributed to Republican losses, acknowledging that voters were unhappy about paying more at the pump. “I don’t think it was the war [with Iran],” Trump told Fox News during a phone interview. “I think it was the gas prices,” NewsNation reported.
Politico anchor Dasha Burns reached Trump by phone during a live broadcast. “I’ve already spoken to certain leaders of the Democratic Party,” he told her, adding: “If I think it’s not good, I’m just going to veto it.”
Several historic firsts have been marked in Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections.
Abdul El-Sayed, who declared victory in Michigan in the early hours of Wednesday, will become the first Muslim senator.
Peggy Flanagan has also made history as the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, winning Minnesota with 53.7% of the vote, per AP.
Chris Pappas, who secured more than 56% of the vote in New Hampshire, will become the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate. Thanking his husband, Vann Bentley, in his victory speech, Pappas said: “I want to thank the guy next to me, my amazing husband, Vann.”
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