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In an outcome seen as a backlash to President Donald Trump, Democrats were projected as easily capturing a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. Control of the Senate was still
too close to call heading into the evening hours Tuesday, but Democratic candidates were leading in battleground contests.
MS NOW called the Democratic flip of the House just before 10 p.m. ET, followed by CNN several minutes later, then NBC News and CBS News. The AP had not called the House race as of this writing.
“This is the repudiation of Trumpism that people have been hoping for,” CNN political commentator and former Obama adviser Van Jones said about the “Blue Wave” sweeping across the country. MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow said of the Democrats’ House win: “This is a seismic change in Washington.”
The surge of support for Democrats comes as Trump’s approval ratings among American voters has plummeted over the course of the year, amid higher gas and grocery prices and the administration’s unpopular war with Iran. As of Nov. 3, just 37% of U.S. voters approve of Trump, near his lowest level ever of 36% just two weeks ago, per the New York Times’ analysis of multiple polls. Trump has stumped for Republican candidates at rallies across the country in recent weeks.
With the Democrats retaking the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York’s 8th District, who is currently House minority leader, would be in line to become Speaker of the House.
Among the 35 Senate races in contention in 2026, Democrats were ahead in several closely watched races Tuesday night, according to AP results.
Those included James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton in Texas; Dr. Abdul El-Sayed vs. Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan; Sherrod Brown vs. Republican incumbent Jon Husted in Ohio; and Troy Jackson vs. Republican incumbent Susan Collins in Maine. In Senate races that were already called, Roy Cooper decisively beat Michael Whatley in North Carolina, and Annie Andrews prevailed in South Carolina over Darline Graham.
If the Senate ends up with a 50-50 split between the parties, Republicans will have the edge as VP JD Vance would hold a deciding tie-breaking vote in the chamber.
Other Democratic winners Tuesday night included Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Georgia gubernatorial race, becoming the first Black woman governor in the United States; and Amy Acton, who defeated former Republican presidential candidate and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio gubernatorial election.
