Democrats Win Both Houses of Congress in 2026 US Midterms: Results and What Divided Government Means for Trump

Democrats have won control of both chambers of the United States Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, the Associated Press confirmed on Wednesday 4 November 2026, delivering a major setback to President Donald Trump and forcing divided government for the final two years of his second term. Americans voted on Tuesday 3 November 2026 for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats and governorships in 36 states.

The scale of the result only became clear a day after polling closed. Early coverage had projected a Democratic House majority while Senate control remained uncalled, but the AP called both chambers for the Democrats on 4 November as counting continued in the remaining races. The outcome reverses Republican control of Congress and hands Democrats the power to set the legislative agenda and to scrutinise the Trump administration through committee investigations.

Democrats Win Congress 2026 Midterms: Results at a Glance

Both tallies are snapshots from AP-based results reporting on 4 November, not certified final counts. Individual race calls may still change as counting and canvassing continue, and the 68 uncalled House races will narrow the final margin in the lower chamber.

Seven-Seat Senate Swing Hands Democrats the Upper Chamber

Democrats secured their Senate majority after Democrat Josh Turek won the Senate race in Iowa, bringing Democrats and independents who caucus with them to 51 seats, according to the AP. The party went on to a 54-seat snapshot, a net gain of at least seven seats from the 53-seat Republican majority it faced going into the night.

The flips cut across the map rather than clustering in one region. Democrats took Republican-held Senate seats in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine, according to results reporting checked across the AP, Reuters and Guardian live coverage. Republicans retained Florida’s Senate seat, where incumbent Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon in a closer contest than many forecasters had expected.

Two Senate races remained uncalled in the latest snapshot: Alaska, where Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan faced Democrat Mary Peltola, and Mississippi, where Democrat Scott Colom held a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith in the returns checked. Neither outcome can change control of the chamber now.

Texas, Maine and Iowa Deliver the Night’s Biggest Upsets

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, in the Senate race, according to the AP. It was the first time Democrats had won a US Senate election in Texas since 1988, and the margin was wide enough for decision desks to call it as a clear flip rather than a recount-grade contest.

In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Republican Senator Susan Collins, who had served in the Senate since 1997, according to the AP. Collins was one of the chamber’s most prominent moderates, and her defeat removed a Republican who had often broken with her party on high-profile votes.

In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Senator Darline Graham, who had been appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham, in July. The result underlined how far the Democratic gains reached into states that had voted reliably Republican for a generation.

Readers following the fallout inside the administration can read the site’s report on Trump ruling out firing Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after the midterm defeat, published earlier today. For how the night unfolded before the Senate was called, the site’s early results coverage from Wednesday morning covers the first calls and the races that were still open at that point.

Five New Governors and Two Historic Firsts

Democrats also won five new governorships — in Nevada, Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Georgia — while holding 17 others, according to results reporting from 4 November. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to become governor, while in Georgia former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States, defeating Republican businessman Rick Jackson.

Florida moved in the opposite direction. Republican Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly to become Florida’s governor, making him the state’s first Black governor. The two historic results showed that the night’s governor contests cut across party lines rather than forming a single national wave.

The AP Voter Poll, conducted by SSRS, found that 39% of voters considered the economy the country’s most important issue, followed by the state of democracy at 32% and immigration at 14%. That ranking helps explain why the campaign’s closing argument centred on household costs rather than on the candidates themselves.

Divided Government Without a Supermajority: What Changes in Washington

Control of both chambers gives Democrats the power to block the Trump administration’s legislative programme and to open investigations into the president’s business interests and administration decisions. The House majority also positions Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to become speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, following formal certification and the seating of the new House.

There are clear limits to that power. Democrats did not win the two-thirds Senate supermajority of 67 seats that would allow them alone to remove a president through impeachment, and they are not expected to reach the 290 House seats needed to override presidential vetoes on their own. Any major legislation will therefore still need either Republican votes or a presidential signature.

The result also shapes the final two years of Trump’s second term in a narrower way. A Democratic Senate will control confirmations for senior appointments and judicial nominees, while a Democratic House will control the committees that can compel testimony and documents. That combination makes the remaining term a negotiation between a Republican White House and a Democratic Congress, rather than the unified Republican government of the first two years.

Detailed seat-by-seat figures are available in the Indian Express results tracker, which checks its snapshot against AP, Reuters and Guardian live results, and in Le Monde’s visual breakdown of the first takeaways.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Democrats win both houses of Congress in the 2026 midterms?
Yes. The Associated Press called both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the Democrats on Wednesday 4 November 2026, a day after voting on Tuesday 3 November.

What is the Senate tally?
The snapshot reported on 4 November showed Democrats and aligned independents on 54 seats against 44 for Republicans, with Alaska and Mississippi still uncalled. The majority threshold is 51 seats.

What is the House tally?
Democrats held 228 seats against 139 for Republicans in the 4 November snapshot, with 68 races still uncalled. The majority threshold is 218 seats.

Which Senate seats flipped to Democrats?
Flips were reported in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine, including James Talarico in Texas, Josh Turek in Iowa, Troy Jackson in Maine and Annie Andrews in South Carolina.

Can Democrats now remove President Trump from office?
No, not on their own. Removing a president through impeachment requires a two-thirds Senate majority of 67 seats, and Democrats hold 54 in the latest snapshot. They also lack the 290 House seats needed to override presidential vetoes alone.

A common misunderstanding is that winning Congress gives the majority party full control of government. It does not. The president keeps the veto, executive orders and command of the armed forces, so the next two years will be shaped by negotiation and confrontation between the branches rather than by one party governing alone.