Democrats have captured both chambers of Congress in the 2026 US midterm elections, according to projections reported by USA TODAY. Decision Desk HQ and NBC projected that Democrats would take the Senate, after Democrats had already been projected to win a majority in the House of Representatives earlier in the evening.
Democrats flipped Senate seats in South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa. They needed a net gain of four seats to take control of the chamber. A competitive Senate race in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed is seeking to keep the seat in Democratic hands, remained uncalled.
Two of the results were historic. Adam Hamilton is projected to be the first Democrat to win a Kansas Senate seat since 1932, and James Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since 1988.
Democrats had always been expected to flip the House, but the Republicans entered 2026 favoured to keep the Senate. Retaking the Senate gives Democrats legislative leverage in shaping Washington’s agenda: USA TODAY reports they are likely to pursue reversing Medicaid and food stamp cuts, reasserting Congress’s role on foreign trade policy, and seeking bipartisan agreement on banning lawmakers from trading stocks. The immediate showdown, however, will likely centre on the war in Iran, and could see Democrats directing President Donald Trump to seek congressional authorisation to continue it or pulling funding to end the conflict. Trump will also have a harder time installing Cabinet and judicial nominees.
These results are projections from Decision Desk HQ and NBC, as reported by USA TODAY, not final certified counts, and some races remain uncalled.
Source: USA TODAY — https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/11/03/democrats-win-senate-midterm-elections-2026/92461757007/
