Democrats Win Both Houses of Congress, Flipping Seven Senate Seats From Texas to Maine

As of Friday, Democrats held 54 Senate seats to Republicans' 44, with Alaska and Mississippi not yet called, and led the House 253 to 162 with 20 races still being counted.

Democrats won control of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in Tuesday's midterm election, ending two years of unified Republican government in Washington and setting up divided government for the final two years of President Trump's term.

Going into Election Day, Republicans held 53 Senate seats and Democrats 47, counting two independents who caucus with Democrats. Democrats needed a net gain of four seats for a majority. They flipped seven Republican-held seats, in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio and Maine, according to race calls compiled by Newsweek and Fortune.

The Senate seats that changed hands

• Texas: Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, the first Democratic win for a Texas Senate seat in 38 years.
• Kansas: Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated Sen. Roger Marshall. Fortune reported Hamilton will be the state's first Democratic senator since 1932.
• North Carolina: Former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) won the open seat.
• South Carolina: Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham.
• Iowa: Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson.
• Ohio: Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) defeated Sen. Jon Husted.
• Maine: Democrat Troy Jackson defeated Sen. Susan Collins; the race was called early Wednesday.

Democrats also held their own competitive seats. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) defeated Republican Rep. Mike Collins, and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's open seat over former Rep. Mike Rogers. Republicans held Florida, where Sen. Ashley Moody won a special election, and Nebraska, where the AP projected Sen. Pete Ricketts the winner over independent Dan Osborn.

As of late Friday, Yahoo News' tally of AP race calls showed Democrats with 54 Senate seats and Republicans with 44, with Alaska and Mississippi still undeclared. The AP reported Democrats would hold "at least 54" seats in the new Senate. (See our separate report on the races not yet called.)

A large House majority

All 435 House seats were on the ballot. Democrats entered the election holding 214 seats and needed 218 for control. As of 4:45 p.m. ET Friday, Yahoo News' count of AP calls showed Democrats winning 253 seats and Republicans 162, with 20 races still uncalled. Fortune reported Wednesday that Democrats had flipped at least 25 Republican-held districts, including battleground seats in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Colorado.

Turnout near a modern record

University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald estimated in a preliminary analysis that about 124.3 million people voted, a turnout rate of 49.42% of eligible voters. That would be the second-highest midterm turnout rate since 1914, behind only 2018's 50.05%. McDonald cautioned that the figure will change as late mail and provisional ballots are counted in states like California and Washington. The Brennan Center, citing his estimate, reported turnout in some majority-minority counties rose by as much as 10 points over 2022.

What leaders said

"Relief is on the way," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said late Tuesday. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told voters, "We hear you." Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X early Wednesday that "Senate Republicans will not stand idly by."

President Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday night, "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" Vice President JD Vance offered a different explanation, according to the AP: "The reason we lost is the war," a reference to the conflict with Iran.

Why it matters

The new Congress convenes Jan. 3, 2027. A Democratic Senate will control the confirmation of federal judges and executive nominees for the next two years, and a Democratic House will set the spending and oversight agenda. For conservative Christians who prayed and worked for a different result, the outcome is a hard one. But it is also a reminder that no election is final and that believers are called to pray "for kings and all who are in high positions" (1 Timothy 2:1–2) whichever party holds them, and to stay engaged in the work of citizenship between elections, not just on them.

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