Blue Wave: Democrats Win Both the House and Senate in Sweeping Midterm Rebuke

It wasn’t close. Democrats are projected to win control of both the House and the Senate in the 2026 midterms, ending Republicans’ hold on Congress and handing President Donald Trump a divided government for his final two years in office. NBC News, CBS News and Decision Desk HQ all made the calls late Tuesday night, and the size of the swing surprised even some Democrats.

Editorial illustration of a domed capitol building at night with a wave of blue light and bar charts, representing Democrats winning control of Congress in the 2026 midterms — Illustration: Daily Content News

A House majority bigger than expected

Democrats needed a net gain of just three seats to retake the House. According to NBC News, they are on track for roughly 255 seats, which would be well past the 218 needed and potentially their largest majority in nearly two decades. NBC notes that its estimate could still move up or down by a few seats as counting continues. The New York Times’ live forecast put Democrats at around 252 seats.

Several well-known Republican incumbents lost, NBC reported. In Pennsylvania, Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry were all defeated. In Virginia, former Rep. Elaine Luria won back her old seat from Rep. Jen Kiggans, and New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. lost to Democrat Rebecca Bennett. CBS News said Democrats also flipped seats in North Carolina, Kentucky and Colorado, and held some districts that Republicans had redrawn in Texas and Florida.

The Senate flips, too

Republicans entered the night with a 53-47 Senate majority, so Democrats needed four pickups. CBS News projects they got at least six, flipping seats in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, while holding Georgia and New Hampshire. The final size of the new majority is still being counted.

Some of those wins broke long streaks. The Hill and USA Today report that James Talarico is the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate seat since 1988, after defeating Republican Ken Paxton, and that Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, unseated Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas, a state that hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate in decades. In South Carolina, Annie Andrews defeated appointed Sen. Darline Graham, as we reported earlier tonight.

Governors’ mansions change hands

The shift reached the states as well. The Associated Press reports that Democrat Gina Hinojosa ousted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas, becoming the state’s first Latina governor and its first Democratic governor since the 1990s. In Ohio, NBC News projects that former state health director Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, making her the first woman elected governor there. And in Georgia, the AP reports that former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, becoming the first Black woman ever elected governor in the United States.

Why voters swung

Outlets across the spectrum framed the results as a referendum on the administration. CBS News pointed to affordability concerns, with the Iran war and tariffs pushing up everyday costs. NBC cited the president’s low approval rating, his immigration crackdown and tariffs on U.S. allies that raised the price of gas and groceries. Historically, the president’s party usually loses seats in a midterm; only 1998 and 2002 bucked that trend in the modern era, according to NBC.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries struck a celebratory tone late Tuesday. “This is a change election,” he said, according to CBS News, adding that Democrats “need to deliver dramatic change.”

What’s next

The new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3. Jeffries is expected to become the first Black speaker of the House, and Democrats will take over committees with subpoena power. NBC reports that Rep. Robert Garcia, expected to lead the Oversight Committee, plans to examine the Trump family’s business dealings, immigration enforcement and the Epstein files. Jeffries has listed priorities including reversing Medicaid cuts, extending Affordable Care Act credits and reasserting congressional authority over tariffs. In the Senate, a Democratic majority can block presidential nominees and decide which bills get a floor vote.

For Republicans, the immediate question is leadership. NBC notes it’s unclear whether Speaker Mike Johnson will seek to stay on as minority leader. Meanwhile, many individual races are still being counted, and all results remain unofficial until states certify them.